The Marks of the Four
by Elenea Galad
Summary: Sequel to Prophesied Eimin and Zyperis are moving fast against the world and the Four are each cast to the four winds. The gods are dying. Zuko has lost his memory. No one's life is safe as Rou wakes and the Elders come. But who is the feared Speaker?
1. Chapter 1

**ARC 2: THE MARK OF THE FOUR**

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* * *

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The first night she had the dream she'd woken up screaming. She'd been unable to stop crying for hours and her entire body had trembled even as Aang held her and told her it was just a dream.

Every night since she'd been forced to watch what her mind supplied as the battle of Shian, to watch Zuko fail at saving the city every night, and to know that he was not coming back.

It had been a month since she'd seen Zuko and he never left her being. She could feel him behind every curtain, in every breath of wind and in every stir of the fire.

For a month, Aang had listened to her excuses to stay in Tasha, hoping that Zuko would appear one day perhaps even with refugees from Shian, telling her that her dream was only partially true.

So Katara talked to the moon, telling Yue her fears about this night, about how she longed never to sleep again.

She worked herself to the bone every day in hopes of forgetting Zuko's plight even for a moment and at night she tried to restrain sleep as wave after wave of exhaustion piled over her. Her eyes lost their brilliance and her hair remained uncared about for days at end. She didn't see the point.

Yue whispered to her, telling her to sleep and in the window Katara slid to the floor, unable to hold back the nightmares any longer.

_White brilliance_

_People screaming…_

_fire…everywhere…_

_rain…arrows…lightning…_

_children…dying…_

_soldiers fighting…burning…killing…_

Katara trembled but instead of forcing herself to wake she forced herself to watch. Yue held her and told her it was all right. The world in her dream spun and Katara was there. She could feel the heat of the fires and hear the screams.

Before her, a teenage girl no older than herself was murdered as a spear fell through her chest.

She saw Zuko fighting desperately against many soldiers and willed herself to move. This time her feet responded and she whipped the soldiers back giving Zuko room to finish them off. In the midst of the battle, he embraced her with his free arm, holding his spear out to one side, and kissed her.

"Katara, I must finish this."

He tore from her arms and disappeared into the crowd as she called his name.

She then saw a beautifully terrifying spire of fire rise into the air, dodging and destroying everything thrown at it.

The white brilliance consumed her again and she was in a hall of red metal, glorious trappings hanging from the walls and nobles dressed in crimson silks all around her.

A man brushed passed her, startling her to stumble off balance before regaining her composure and staring after him, the gnawing in the back of her mind telling her she knew him.

"Zuko," she whispered.

The man turned and it was Zuko, his face unmarred by that hideous scar. She reached her hand up, the Powers that Be allowing her to touch him for the briefest of moments, engraving his face into her mind.

He said one thing to her. "Jeong Jeong,"

The innate knowledge that comes with dreams explained this to her and she nodded.

"Shian,"

As he turned to fall back into the flow of the world, his eyes were softened and became pained.

"I can't remember Katara. Please help me. Please find me."

She woke, tears streaming down her face but her resolve and confidence was firm for the first time in many nights.

"We have to go to Shian."

* * *

Aang was torn in two, standing on the outer wall of the city. How could he go on when the woman he loved was in love with another and pined for him? How could he be the Avatar, the intangible Avatar, when he could not detach himself from what held him to the earth?

He turned as footsteps echoed on the steps, audible even as the reconstruction of Tasha continued.

As Katara appeared the rain clouds that had been gathering since dawn let loose their woeful downpour.

Katara's words died in her throat as she viewed the silent pain in her dearest friend's eyes. Once she had thought he could be the only one she could ever love. He had thought the same thing.

Even now what he had thought was love was dying with the pouring rain, washing away pretenses. It was without guilt that he fell into the arms of the only one who used to matter. She was now one of many he had to save.

Katara slumped against the wall, cradling Aang and raising her head to the weeping of the sky.

"Aang, I'm…"

He smiled through his tears.

"You're the Daughter of Nen. You couldn't have changed things if you wanted to."

Katara blinked then smiled. "Did Zuko tell you?"

He shook his head against her stomach. "No, I figured it out."

"We should find Jeong Jeong. He can train you to fire-bend now."

Aang turned his head. "No, I want Zuko to train me."

"He's not a master."

"I don't care."

Katara closed her eyes. "I had a dream."

Aang raised his head to look at her but found her face peaceful.

"If we find Jeong Jeong, we'll find Zuko."

"Where do we start?"

"Shian."

* * *

It was raining. It had been raining ever since Shian had been destroyed. In what appeared to be a sheer cliff, a man in hood and cloak ran along the edge of a rock shift. Stopping, he knocked a certain pattern against the cliff wall and from inside an earth-bender opened the way for him.

Jeong Jeong handed the hood and cloak off to the young water-bender ready to take it from him where the water was bended off and the cloak was handed back to him dry. In silence, he headed deeper into the labyrinth of caves. A single earth-bender followed him without his request for it was well known one could not travel these halls without the skills of earth-bending.

This was hazardous and frustrating for the water-benders as well as the fire-benders he had brought with him. When he had met Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe neither he nor his men had even been trusted to leave peacefully. Now the second powerful fire-bender had been accepted into the ranks of this rebellion.

The earth-bender left him after letting him into the private cavern where the other stayed.

Instantly the pacing Ki-Lin that never left the boy's side spun around, ready to gore him until he bowed.

"Excuse me, Lady Kagehi,"

As always, her wings fluttered as she raised her head high, her tail tossing nervously. He could tell she hated being underground but she would not leave the one she called Korosu. In fact, it was the only name they had for the prodigy.

_Freezing cold wind blowing pushing fighting against can't breathe can't see. In the roaring he heard himself speak._

"_Leave me and go." _

_That girl again, her voice like a song. _

"_No!" _

"_Go." _

"_How will you survive in this?" _

"_Go." _

Jeong Jeong smiled softly. The poor boy was collapsed at the table where he'd been reading the night before. His smile hesitated a moment as he heard the boy mumble.

"Always…alone…"

"_You are not alone. You're here, with me, and I'm not going to leave you here alone. I will never leave you Zuko." _

Gently, Jeong Jeong shook him awake. "Korosu,"

Korosu snapped awake, staring at the book he'd fallen asleep on with wide eyes. He blinked once or twice and then realized where he was.

"Jeong Jeong…what has happened?"

Jeong Jeong smiled. "Nothing, you fell asleep. We're ready to move out."

Korosu nodded. "I'll be out in a moment."

Jeong Jeong exited and Korosu packed up his books, leaving everything else, his thoughts turning to his dream once more. Quickly, in his journal, he jotted down the name 'Zuko' along with all the other names mentioned in his dreams. Maybe they would help him remember himself but then again…maybe not.

Outside, thousands of earth, water, and fire-benders emerged from the cliff side, not only soldiers but women and children as well. Hakoda had once referred to them as a moving nation. Only Jeong Jeong had laughed.

Kagehi flexed her wings as she hadn't been able to do in ages.

"Oh, it feels good to be back in open air again."

Korosu laughed. "Easy for you to say. I'll be happy to keep my feet on the ground for some time."

She shook her mane and allowed his hand on her shoulder as they worked their way down after the others. Dressed in borrowed Earth Kingdom clothes, Korosu was a far cry from the boy she had met what seemed like years ago but was only two months.

He really was a mixture of nations now with Earth Kingdom clothes, a Fire Nation topknot, and a Water Tribe bag. The soldiers were still not fain to give him a weapon but as he remained with Kagehi, she assigned herself the duty of protecting him.

With a sharp gust of wind, a single strand of hair fell down over the left side of his face and Korosu brushed it away, once again overtaken by the strange feeling that he got when his fingers brushed the unmarked flesh over his left eye, like it wasn't supposed to be there.

He bent down behind Kagehi's neck as she tucked her wings close to her. The wind drove the rain into them and it felt like knives piercing the thin cloth of their clothing but they pushed on. The Fire Nation would never expect an attack in this storm.

* * *

The depression was filled with blood.

Once it had been full of water but the aquifer that supplied it had run dry nearly two thousand years before he entered it.

It had been a small feat to convince the soldiers to walk into the depression and slit their own throats and often the throats of those around them. It was even smaller a feat to convince the few still alive to gather the bodies out of the blood lake and onto the shore.

Zyperis watches silently, relishing the cold feeling that swept over him, the only emotion he'd allowed himself to feel for the past month until it had once again become a harsh, calculating habit that allowed him a clear mind.

Blood magic was a forbidden art, even in this time, magic gathered from the pain and suffering of others and by the Powers, he knew how to gather it.

For a moment his dark thoughts granted him a picture of the one he'd hurt the most before he shook the memory away.

He began to speak, an ancient chant from before the world had been created, and his words formed runes that hovered over the crimson lake before drawing up the blood magic and forming it to his command. In the air above the lake, a swirling void began to appear, piecing itself into existence with his words and magic.

Inside the void, the darkness began to take shape.

* * *

"Who is he, brother? Do you know?"

Standing in the rain, Haku could not meet his sister's gaze.

"Can a child be born after the mother has been dead for six months?"

Kanna blinked, looking up. "What?"

However, Haku wasn't paying attention to her. He was thinking about a time when he was still young, about the first time he had fought these enemies.

* * *

Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee doubled checked everything on their mounts before turning to face their small parting group. The Avatar's flying bison was nearby and they were ready to go after her brother.

Jet was there, a hand on her shoulder.

"There's too many risks. You shouldn't go."

Earlier that morning, the members of the war council had determined that they needed to launch a counter-offensive. Azula and her team had volunteered to go the camp and infiltrate it as spies. She believed that the news of her treason could not have reached so far so fast as Peris would have surely returned to a much larger base immediately.

Now, fully dressed as a Fire Nation Princess once more, she felt safe in what she knew. Surrounded by her enemies, she knew only one more thing could make what was to come a realistic idea.

"You'll find Zuko."

Katara touched her hand and nodded. "Take care, Azula."

The water-bender climbed into the saddle with the others of her group. Midori had chosen to stay in Tasha to help with refugees and the rebuilding. Jet was also staying, cutting the group down to Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph.

Azula could barely steady her hands on the basilisk's reins. She glanced down to meet the mud-colored eyes of the man she dreamed of forgetting and knew she couldn't. Raising her head, her gaze met the Avatar's.

"Be careful. Peris has a fine way of appearing where you least expect him."

"You be careful as well. You…hmph…" Aang fell silent, glancing away. How could he explain that he could barely meet her gaze without thinking of Zuko, of the man who had hunted him for nearly a year, of the first fire-bender in this time that he had trusted and yet so foolishly hated, and now of the only one who could make the woman he loved happy again?

"Appa, yip yip!"

Appa leapt into the sky and Azula turned her team into the woods. The wind stirred and sped them on their way.

* * *

Jet closed his eyes so as to not watch them go. When he opened them again, they were gone from view. The wind swirled again and met him outside the walls of the city where he unearthed a small bag and a long brown cloak. Pulling the cloak over him, he slung the bag over his shoulder.

"_Someone's coming…"_

He turned and stared up the path as Midori came running out of the gates.

"Midori-san, what is it?"

Midori bent over her knees to catch her breath. "I thought you would be leaving and I wanted to give you this."

Jet raised an eyebrow. He hadn't told anyone he was leaving. Seeing his expression, Midori winked.

"I just had a feeling, ok? You're as unreadable as stone. Here."

She thrust a crudely wrapped package into his hand. Inside were writing utensils and scrolls.

"Keep it touch, Jet-san,"

She smiled and raced off.

"_Something's not right about that girl," _

Jet smirked. "You're telling me?"

The Hiketsu chuckled as he placed the papers and such in his bag and continued down the path.

"So, where are going?"

"_North." _

Jet nodded and began to run, bringing out his swords and disappearing into the trees.

* * *

Just inside the gates, Midori was frozen. A glazed look overcame her eyes and then faded away. Glancing around, she frowned in confusion.

"Now, how did I get out here?"

Shaking her head, she continued on and disappeared into the city.

* * *

She pushed her head under his arm as he sat on the hillside. He was humming a soft song that she seemed to know but couldn't place.

"What is that song?"

Korosu shrugged. "I can't remember."

Kagehi lowered her head to rest on the grass, still wet from the rain. The battle had gone well, another victory for Seigi. She touched her alicorn to his cheek and looked at him through one impossibly blue eye.

"What are you thinking about?"

Korosu closed his eyes and the warm sun shed its last rays on the earth for that day.

"Just how sunny days seem to hurt the most."

Appa sank a little lower in the air, the easy breeze allowing him to glide lazily over the forest.

Katara closed her eyes, leaning into the warm embrace Sokka had offered as the others slept in the dark night.

"Everything is going to be all right, Sokka."

He gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. "It's just, I didn't tell you…"

Katara sat up. "Didn't tell me what?"

Sokka looked away. "The battle at Tasha, the man that Jet was fighting…"

"Peris,"

"Mom was with him."

Katara stared at him, her mouth agape. "That's impossible! I fought him too, remember? I didn't see Mom."

"It was when that blue light overtook you, when you got that strange sword. He was going to kill you but Mom stopped him. Peris wouldn't hurt her for some reason. Then they left together."

Katara shook her head. "Sokka, you haven't been drinking the cactus juice again?"

Sokka tried to stand but the wind over the saddle kept him in his seat.

"I'm serious, Katara! I saw her."

Katara leveled a glare at him. "As if we don't have enough to worry about, Sokka, you have to make up tales to get the attention back on you. But bringing Mom into it! I didn't think you would stoop so low!"

She stood against the wind before he could say anything and walked over to sit on Appa's head. The bison groaned softly before adjusting for her weight and continuing on.

Sokka pulled his sleeping bag up over his shoulders and his forehead creased in worry.

"But I saw her."

Katara forced herself not to look back at her brother. The anger in her heart had cooled but she was so tired. There was too much to be expected of her, what was she supposed to do?

She glanced back to see Sokka was asleep. She couldn't apologize now and not yet either. Instead, she turned back forward and said nothing.

She didn't know she wouldn't get another chance to speak to her brother.

* * *

ak

zk

at

BLAR!

I know it wasn't worth the wait. Forgive me.


	2. Chapter 2

"The universe is not only stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we _can_ imagine." --J.B.S. Haldane

* * *

Chapter 2

He climbed through the mist, the branches of the forest wet with dew until the trees opened onto a small plateau. Below him, a procession filed up from the burning remains of a village below.

It was a funeral.

He walked closer but no one paid him any mind. Mothers were weeping, holding their youngest children by their sides while the siblings left behind wondered where their older brothers and sisters had gone. The white they wore didn't seem right even though it was the color of mourning.

Turning his head, his gaze was drawn to a young girl, maybe 12, pushing the shoulder of a man on his knees weeping over a covered body. Stepping closer, he didn't mean to but couldn't help listening to what the girl was crying.

"Don't cry, Daddy, it's okay. I'm okay, see? I was always part of the Spirit World, please Daddy, I don't want you to cry."

She turned and looked at him and he stepped back, startled. Her eyes were so green. She reached from the bracelet around her wrist and then held it out to him.

"This is yours now. It's your turn to try, big brother."

* * *

Haru's eyes fluttered open as the dream flowed through his hands, fading into forgotten memory. Raising his head, the warm sunlight streaming through the trees greeted him and he smiled softly. He sat up, pushing back the blanket his mother had given him and shaking the sleep from his eyes. 

Standing, he was immediately nearly thrown back to the forest floor by barreling youngsters. The group of misfits was eager and ready to move on.

A glint out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he glanced down.

Around his wrist was the green-eyed girl's bracelet.

* * *

In a small house hidden deep in the woods of the Achlys foothills, a mother threw open the shutters and let the warm sunlight in. 

As the rays engulfed her body, she smiled. "Good morning, father,"

Keilantra turned and was greeted by her son's warm embrace. So long had she waited to hold him again that she didn't think she could hold him long enough.

The moment was cut short as the sunlight seemed to begin to die. At first one could think it was simply a stray cloud slipping in front of the sun until the darkness deepened, becoming as night.

The Princess of the Night didn't have any time to prepare when the door burst in, framing the figure of a man for a brief flash before the light faded. Bracing herself in front of Tasuki, she stood strong.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

From the dust, a voice answered.

"Greetings, Keilantra, Daughter of Agni and Shasa. Greetings Tasuki, Son of Keilantra and the Eldest Ki-Lin."

Stiffening, Keilantra stepped back, an iron grip holding Tasuki behind her.

"I'll repeat myself. Who are you and how do you know us?"

"Where are the scrolls, Hime no Yoru?"

Keilantra willed herself not to steal a glance to the vase on the windowsill. A strange light was replacing the sunlight, glinting off the crystal embedded in Tasuki's forehead and outlining the stranger.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The stranger tilted his head, pondering. "Well, he did say…maybe he won't mind…"

She narrowed her gaze as she felt his gaze center on her.

"So…cold…" she gasped.

The sword flashed twice and both Keilantra and her son fell to the floor. Blood stained the window and pooled on the floor.

Stepping over the bodies, the stranger glanced around then he saw it. The sword flashed again and the vase fell in pieces on the floor, the flowers it held scattering petals in the red elixir that gathered.

He bent and picked up the scrolls stolen from the Fire Temple, shaking the broken pieces of pottery off their delicate papyrus. As he read what was inscribed upon them, he laughed.

"No wonder,"

Turning, he sighed. "Oh, what a mess."

* * *

Haku stopped on the path and for a moment nothing on earth moved. He tilted his head and listened. The birds were quiet. No breath of wind was in the trees. He could only hear his heart beating and…he closed his eyes and listened harder, listening to the earth. 

Soft, barely audible, and then it roared to life, sending him to his knees with its screech. The earth was screaming in agony.

Rushing forward he advanced into the clearing. The house seemed unharmed. Inside...inside the house he fell to his knee and pulled their cold forms to him.

* * *

There were only a select few in the room by the canopied bed. The palace healer stood, a grave look on her face. 

"I can't name it nor describe it. The best thing for him now is rest."

Sitting on the side of the bed, a hand on the hand of his lord, Peris sat playing the part of the concerned patriot and son.

"Is there nothing to be done?"

The healer shook his head. "This illness has come on so fast. I can't…"

The ailing Fire Lord's eyes fluttered and glanced about the room, settling on Peris.

"The country is yours now. Guide her."

Peris placed both of his hands over the Fire Lord's. "I will, Father."

A messenger entered the room and bowed. "A man to see you, Prince Peris."

Ozai nodded. "Go."

Peris kissed his father's hand and followed the messenger out. It was a reverently silent room he left.

* * *

Entering into his study, Zyperis narrowed his gaze in the darkened atmosphere. A strange being, human of appearance, stood to his left. Dressed in a colorless sleeveless tunic and pants cropped at the knee, his skin was pale and his hair a bright shock orange, spiked to one side. He was standing on tip toe, one hand reaching to touch the dragon emblem in the Royal Fire Nation coat-of-arms. 

"I thought I said not to kill anyone."

Startled, he turned and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, couldn't help myself. It makes things so much easier."

Zyperis crossed the room and sat behind the Fire Lord's enormous desk overflowing with decrees, edicts, and miscellaneous items to be signed. His gaze remained on the other.

"Next time, you will control yourself. My plans have been too well placed for someone of your stature to be messing them up."

The other turned and mumbled something under his breath.

Zyperis smiled. "How could I forget all that you owe me, Seisui?"

A shiver crept through him. "Well, it sure took you a long time to collect and besides that, why couldn't you remember that we Abyss are extinct?"

His smile grew wider, causing the other to tremble again.

"I couldn't, since I made you that way."

Seisui nodded and walked over to the open window. Zyperis took a paper in hand and glanced over it before setting it aside.

"On your way out, send the general standing outside the door in."

He nodded and stepped out. Moments later, the general of the Fire Nation army stepped in.

"General Xiang, I have a few questions."

"Of course, my Lord."

"Why do we let spies live?"

Xiang blinked before straightening his posture. "I don't understand, sir."

Peris sifted through a few papers. "The former general Jeong Jeong must be tracked down and killed."

"We're trying, my Lord."

"Stop trying. Do it." Peris snapped. "I'm ordering the 15th regiment and two YuuYan to focus solely on the elimination of Jeong Jeong and any followers he may have gathered."

"Yes, sir."

"Also, the YuuYan named Yashamaru is an Earth Kingdom spy."

Xiang blinked and glanced towards the door, more than anxious to escape.

"His name is Arasoi and he lives in this village." Peris placed a scroll on the front of his desk.

"Send a group of five assassins to kill him and take the village for the Fire Nation."

"Yes, sir."

A moment passed and Peris glanced up. "Why are you still here?"

Hurriedly, Xiang bowed and ran from the room.

* * *

Imitating his father's movements, the brown-haired boy sighed in frustration when the rock barely trembled. 

Chuckling, his father ruffled his hair. "You'll get it. Now let's go. I can smell supper form here."

Shiroten didn't follow immediately. His gaze fell on the sun setting over the western forest. As his head turned, a strand of hair fell in his face. He glared at it with as much hatred as he could muster.

Raising his hand, he blamed the bronze skin that his light had given him and the sandy hair that shadowed his gaze. He'd worried so long about his mother. He didn't know he'd have to give up so much.

* * *

He spat a thin stream of blood into the dirt as the Earth bullies went back towards camp leaving their catcalls fading with the wind. 

Korosu sat up and sighed, smearing the blood on his chin with a torn sleeve.

"Here, let me."

A young woman sponged the blood from his cut lip and checked his face for any other cuts before sitting back.

"You know, not all of us are like that."

Korosu ignored her offer and stood alone. "Someday they'll see we're all human."

She smiled then offered her hand again, this time in greeting.

"My name is Jin."

This time, he accepted her hand. "Korosu."

Her smile grew broader and she took his arm in her own. Together they walked back towards camp.

* * *

Katara watched the moon rise in the dark night, her body outlined against the horizon. A sudden sound alerted her and she spun. Nakara, the little blue dragon, fell out of Sokka's bag with a piece of red cloth caught in her teeth. 

Quickly, Katara caught the playful dragon, gently separating the cloth from Nakara's daggered teeth. Her heart leapt into her throat as she wondered if he knew what it meant. It was incomplete but she could recognize it.

Carefully sewn to red cloth was a betrothal necklace.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Sorry this is late. It's also not as long as I planned it to be but Chapter 4 should be up sooner than this was. Also, even though nobody cares, I have an 'A' in Japanese 1001. Go me.

Anyway, things will start heating up soon. At least it can't get any worse.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The moon was high, gleaming into the clearing and lighting her way as Katara moved across camp to the shore of the nearby river. Opening the map, she guessed at how far they'd come from Tasha and how far they had to go to reach Shian.

A sigh alerted her to another's presence. A little further down the river she saw Aang sitting with his eyes closed. When she crossed the small distance and sat down beside him, he sighed again.

"I just don't understand the fire element."

Katara smiled, understanding.

Aang shook his head. "I've been practicing at night, trying to build on what Jeong Jeong taught me and it's so frustrating."

"Aren't you supposed to practice in the sun? The sun is the source of all fire."

Aang shrugged. "I can't control it or concentrate in the sunlight. Every time I try to focus on the heat I feel it rise up inside of me and try to take over."

He grinned and turned his head. "And you seem to know a lot about the fire element."

Katara smiled slightly, her eyes soft. "On the island, Zuko and I talked a lot about our elements and what it was like learning to bend."

She raised her hand and bended a small stream of water to her.

"Remember, when you were learning to water-bend, you had to learn to move with the water not against it. And when Toph teaches you, she's teaching you to be strong and…well, show the rock who's boss."

Aang laughed and nodded.

Katara's smile wavered and her lids lowered, her brow furrowed in remembrance.

"Zuko described learning to fire-bend as if fighting a war against everything inside you. You can't subdue fire yet you can neither give in to it. You must learn to work with while at the same time overpowering it."

She shook her head and sighed. "Fire will be your toughest element."

Aang nodded.

* * *

The fire rolled through his finger as if it wanted to prove its worth. Korosu watched the tiny flame as it flickered and tumbled, trying to become bigger and still fit through his fingers. 

He turned as Jeong Jeong came down the path to the edge of the river where he sat. The old fire-bender watched the flame flicker over his hand for a moment before Korosu let it die.

"Come train with us, Korosu."

The tone of the deserter's voice left no room for question but still Korosu shook his head. Standing, he shook off his pants and walked further downriver.

Jeong Jeong sighed and watched him until he was hidden by the willow trees then he turned and walked back to the camp.

Korosu stood silent against the bank of the river, staring out through the trees to the bitter sun. Something about the way in shone saddened him, as if it had a secret it didn't quite want to divulge just yet.

A sharp jerk beneath his feet caused him to gasp as the wet ground betrayed him to the hungry river.

Despite the warm weather, the water hit him like ice. The world swam before his view as he struggled to regain the surface. He didn't even know if he could swim.

And he wondered why there were ice chunks floating in the water.

He spun in the water and below him he saw a small girl wearing Water Tribe clothing and dressed for a northern winter floating below him. She was unconscious.

A sound alerted him to something above him and he saw himself, no, it wasn't, no, he was sure it was himself, dive into the water and swim down towards the girl, wrap an arm around her waist, and pull her to the surface.

A crowd of Northern Water Tribesmen were waiting and the girl, no more than eight years old, coughed and ran to her mother. It was snowing.

An older girl, almost sixteen, ran towards him and pulled him out of the water.

"What were you thinking, Zuko? You could've been killed."

She was yelling but her eyes were laughing. He laughed in turn.

"I'm very sorry. Do forgive me, dear Katara."

She playfully hit him at his tone and wrapped a dry blanket around his shoulders.

_Zuko. My name is Zuko. _

Korosu coughed involuntarily and he was no longer cold. Also, he was no longer in the water.

A sharp sting across his face alerted him to exactly where he was.

"What were you thinking, Korosu? You could've been killed!"

"I'm sorry, Katara."

Jin stopped, her hair dripping and her arm raised mid-slap. She bit her lip and stared at the half-conscious fire-bender then slowly lowered her hand.

He blinked several times and then realized who she was. Gasping at his mistake, he struggled to regain his feet and succeeded only in falling once again.

"Jin, I'm sorry, I remembered something there in the water."

Jin sat watching him. "Katara,"

Korosu stared blankly forward, not noticing when Kagehi came flying into the clearing and chased Jin away.

_Zuko. My name is Zuko. But who is Zuko? Damn, why can't I remember anything? _

Kagehi lay down next to him and he grasped a fistful of her mane, staring over her neck as if he willed the very earth to reveal its secrets to him. It didn't take long for the tears to come.

When a general yelled a command he sprang forward knowing exactly what he was to do. He could command armies. He could swim, save lives, speak four different languages, read the Ancient Script, summon lightning from clear skies, was bonded to a Ki-Lin, why could he not remember who he was?

* * *

Haru looked around him at what was left of the Freedom Fighters. They had been traveling for nearly a month now following what seemed to be a moving nation that had left barely a track for them to find the group by. Smellerbee, luckily, was an extremely good tracker. 

Still, they were running very low on food. He and some of the older Fighters had gone without so that the youngest wouldn't be hungry. For he, himself it had been three days since he'd eaten and the most water the group had to have had was less than a day ago at a muddy stream. They had to find the nation and quickly.

Smellerbee walked a few feet ahead and knelt. The one called Longshot moved to stand even with Haru.

"They're still a few days ahead of us."

Haru struggled not to sigh and turned to look at the group following him. A few of the older ones looked up at him hopefully but the youngest just took advantage of the brief rest, several just sitting down where they stopped walking. They could not continue like this.

"Longshot, Smellerbee, I want you to take charge of the group and camp nearby. Forage for food, look for water, but wait here. I'm going to go ahead and make contact."

Longshot leveled a glare at him and Smellerbee nodded.

"Longshot's right, you can go on by yourself."

"Why not?" Haru replied. "I brought the group this far. It only makes sense. I'm the oldest and the only one capable of solitary travel."

"What about us? The Fighters?"

"You survived without me. What's one more week?"

At long last, Smellerbee nodded again. She dug out a small bag from the large pack she carried and handed it to him.

"Here. It's not much but it'll get you there."

Haru accepted the food and turned to his path. Smellerbee and Longshot watched him disappear into the woods.

* * *

Deep in the Earth Kingdom, a young farmer walked with a few others from his village through the town's crops. The dry ground was cracked and his steps sent up swirls of dust. The much needed crops were dying from dehydration in a land that was usually fertile. The sun beat down on the poor village. 

"A drought this early…"

"It came on in a few days…"

The young farmer held in his hands a wilted leaf and he frowned. Something was very wrong.

Only a few miles away, another village farm lay flooded.

* * *

Arnook woke to a cloudy morning as the distress call resounded through the city. Shasa's Tears, as his ancestor's had named the glacier to the north of the city, had ceased its frozen solidity and was now rushing down the hillside to empty into the bay. Half of the outlying houses had been swept away. The number of casualties was unknown. 

Turning, Arnook placed a hand on the frozen wall of his home. His hand came away wet.

The Northern Water Tribe was melting.

* * *

In the Fire Palace courtyard, a maid stared at her hand where a flake of snow had just fallen.

* * *

The cliff that was to house the army that night was bathed in snow by the time they reached. The blizzard had been raging for three days turning a short trip into a life-or-death excursion. Fire-benders were placed in increments down the line using flame signals to guide the army on. 

Korosu wrapped his hand tighter in Kagehi's mane as she stood against the increasing wind. He stood beside Jeong Jeong and they guided the seemingly endless stream of women and children to the cliff side. Just beside the cliff there was a lull in the wind which unbalanced the group as they scurried to shelter.

A young woman carrying a thickly covered infant nearly fell but Korosu managed to catch her before she dropped her precious cargo into the thick snow. She clung to him desperately and he half carried her to where the wind was blocked by the cliff. She disappeared into the crowd without a sound and Korosu moved back to Kagehi.

* * *

Haru wrapped his thin cloak around him but the fierce wind tore through his clothes like a thousand knives. The snow was waist deep where he walked but was over his head in some areas. What had been rugged landscape a few days ago was laid flat and treacherous by the unworldly snow. 

Without warning, his next step landed on nothing and the world turned inside out as he rolled down the side of a deep gulley. Snow cascaded around him, whipped by the never-ending wind which brought only more snow. Pain exploded down his right side and he barely noticed a soft green glow before all was dark.

* * *

The weather was unusually good the night Appa landed just north of a village. Sokka was sure it wasn't guarded by the Fire Nation so they could replenish their supplies the next morning. Now, everyone was very tired. 

Toph landed on the ground and gave a short gasp, almost unnoticed by the others who were putting up camp. Aang, however, turned to ask.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing really." She replied. "I've just never felt earth this old before."

Sokka glanced down. "Looks pretty new to me."

"Not on the surface but down about six feet or so. It's feels like its…thousands of years old…or more!"

She shook her head and began to help put up camp as she could. Katara placed a hand on the ground, wishing for a just a moment that she could feel what Toph did. Suddenly, she felt a pull in her chest and she climbed into Appa's saddle. There, the sword she had taken from ruins of the Fire Temple was glowing softly.

* * *

Korosu turned his head. In the holster on Kagehi's shoulder, the gold staff was glowing slightly, pulling at him. 

He slowly undid the leather strap that held the staff in place and drew it out. For a moment all it did was glow, illuminating the snow around him and then his world changed.

The snow was whirling and then became an alabaster wall, so quick did the vision move before him.

Then the wall of snow shimmered and became separate flakes once more and in the midst of the swirling white mist was a fleck of green. It could've been a tree or a bush but Korosu knew better.

He snapped back into his own mind, Kagehi nudging his neck and the staff still glowing very softly.

"Kagehi," Korosu whispered hoarsely, the wind whipping at his words but the alert Ki-Lin ears heard him.

"Yes," she replied softly.

"Can you fly?"

She raised her head, surveying the winds and then lowered her head in assent. Without another word, Korosu climbed onto her back and she opened her wings. At first the winds buffeted her back and she slid on the powdered snow but as she turned her back to the wind, it nearly lifted her.

Jeong Jeong turned just in time to see the fire-red Ki-lin disappear into the storm.

"Korosu!" he called in spite of the fact he knew the boy couldn't hear him.

* * *

Ziri smiled at the thin sheet of snow on the ground. In the ice-covered stream he saw the reflection of his new unscarred face. He looked different, older, and he had a strange new escort who didn't appear in the reflection. 

She stood not far away, wrapped in a thick white fur cloak, identical to the one he wore. Feeling his gaze, she turned and smiled at him, brilliant blue eyes twinkling in the white iridescence.

"All the Eimin is doing is unbalancing the world. This weather is only the first sign of things to come."

Ziri's smile faded but he kept her gaze. Kanna, the sister of the Eldest Ki-Lin, had told him all that was happening in the world and his piece in it.

Her smile broadened. "Not to worry. I will teach you all you need to know."

* * *

The ill Fire Lord was accompanied only by his attentive heir or so it seemed to the constant nurses who scurried about. The other companion had no form, merely occupied the shadows for the time being. 

Peris turned to the nurses. "Can you leave us, please?"

The nurses bowed and left the room. Slowly, the shadows condensed and the last Abyss stood in the room with him.

"Are you making him sick?" Seisui asked.

Zyperis placed a hand on Ozai's forehead and nodded. Seisui watched the young Dark Lord and noticed that despite the new position and much finer clothes, Zyperis looked thinner, haggard, and almost pallid.

"What have you done?"

Zyperis didn't answer but gave a weary sigh. "I need the Fire Lord alive, if just for a little longer. You, are you anxious to return?"

Seisui didn't reply. He didn't need to. "What must I do to fulfill my debt?"

"It will be difficult, extremely for you. You are much older than the enemy you will face and you have that advantage."

The Abyss braced itself.

"After you do this," Zyperis continued. "You can return to whatever hole you call home. I think one Abyss will be enough for this world, as young as it will be."

"What must I do?" Seisui repeated.

"I want you to kill the Ki-Lin, Kanna."

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. Confucius

Chapter 4

The wind was horrendous and several times Kagehi has to skim near the ground to escape the worst of it. During these blood-congealing dives, Korosu forced himself to scan the ground for the man he'd seen in his vision.

Suddenly, a strong blast of wind and snow came at them from the side and Kagehi was knocked to the ground, sending Korosu flying as the wind tore at them, sending them tumbling through the snow. When she could finally regain her feet, Kagehi shook her wings to make sure they weren't damaged and looked around for Korosu, calling his name.

He stood, nearly falling once more in the driving wind. She stepped to his side and expressed concern that in this wind, she might not be able to fly any more.

Korosu wrapped an arm around her neck for support. "We'll make it."

She nodded. Korosu scanned the snow, using his free hand to keep his hair out of his eyes. The fall had torn it from its topknot and now the wind whipped into the ice-sodden strands into his face with cutting precision.

He would've missed it from the sky Korosu noted as he at last spotted the flap of green cloth that he had seen in his vision. Sliding carefully down the gulley with Kagehi following, he found the man buried at least under a foot of snow, shivering but alive. His leg was clearly broken; the snow was stained with patches of blood.

Korosu lifted the man onto his back, the man's head over his shoulder. Slowly, with much backsliding, he climbed out of the gulley. It was only with Kagehi's natural sense of direction that would get them home safely.

* * *

Jeong Jeong was waiting outside of the camp, a thick red cloak wrapped around his shoulders. The cliff side opened up behind him and Hakoda stepped out.

"You're not used to this weather. Let me take over the watch."

Jeong Jeong shook his head. "I'm not moving until Korosu comes back."

Hakoda moved to stand beside him. "You know who he really is, don't you?"

Jeong Jeong nodded. "I thought it best if he figures it out for himself."

Hakoda nodded his agreement. "There is something at work here we can't explain. The weather, the Ki-lin, you can hear it can't you?"

Jeong Jeong tilted his head and closed his eyes. Above the wind, above the creak of the earth, above the sounds of the camp, there was a creaking, a howling that one could barely discern but it was there. As he focused on it, it grew in pitch until it was all there was.

He shook his head, clearing the sound out. Opening his eyes, a blotch of red became visible and soon the figures of a Ki-Lin with a strange huddle of mass beside it came into view. As they stepped into the circle of light made by the lantern Hakoda carried, they saw that it was Korosu carrying another.

Hakoda rushed forward and took Korosu's load from him. It was a teenage Earth kingdom boy, pale beneath his complexion and nearly frozen. Korosu didn't look well either and neither did Kagehi. She even allowed Jeong Jeong to throw his cloak over her wings as they were guided inside.

In his chambers, Korosu was stripped of his wet clothes and wrapped in several warm blankets. A maid gave him a bowl of warm broth to sip on as Jeong Jeong berated him of his foolishness, Kagehi lying wearily in a corner as another maid placed heated blankets over her.

"The boy…" Korosu said, interrupting Jeong Jeong's tirade. "How is he?"

The maid who had given him the broth answered while Jeong Jeong took a breath.

"He'll be fine, Lord Korosu, with some rest. He has spoken brokenly of a group of children further in the woods where you found him."

Korosu nodded and sipped the broth. Exhaustion was feeding into him slowly, making everything he heard and saw a bit fuzzy.

He stood, clutching the blankets around his shoulders. "We have to…"

For a moment he glanced about the room, trying to make sense of the fact that there was suddenly three of everything before it all went dark.

The maid cried out at the cup he'd been holding shattered and Jeong Jeong failed in his attempt to catch the falling boy. His head cracked against the stone floor with a sullen thud. Kagehi struggled to regain her feet until Jeong Jeong motioned to her that he was all right.

* * *

The sound of fire and screams woke him from his bed. He threw back the blanket and rushed out into the nighttime village, not even aware that he was barely dressed. An arm wrapped around his chest and he cried out.

"Shiroten,"

Shiroten breathed again as he looked up into his father's eyes.

"Their fire-benders and I'm sure they're after me."

"What do you mean?"

Arasoi turned. "I've been a spy against the Fire Nation. I was sure they wouldn't find me here, this village isn't even on the map, but…it's the only reason they would've attacked."

An explosion sent beams of light flashing through the village and Shiroten automatically shrank back from it. Arasoi gripped the bloody sword in his hand and braced himself.

"Look, Shiroten, and listen to me. You have to go get your mother to safety. She's hiding in the stables."

"But Dad…"

"Now!"

Arasoi pushed him further into the alleyway and leapt out into the fray, instantly beginning battle with a random fire-bender.

Shiroten weighed his options. Without his shadow-bending, he was barely more than an annoyance since his earth-bending wasn't hardly worth calling bending. He turned and ran.

The stable was the only building not yet on fire. The ostrich horses were crying out in fright, clearly they knew of what was happening even if the proximity of the battle wasn't quite to their door yet. Taking a moment, Shiroten quickly opened the gates of their stalls and let them run free. He had a feeling there wouldn't be anyone left to claim them and he wouldn't let them burn to death.

He found his mother hiding in one of the stalls. Pulling her to her feet, he placed an arm around her shoulders and guided her out of the stable.

The stable had now caught fire from one of the other houses. Shiroten could hear the rowdy shouts of the fire-benders now. No matter what his father said, these men were here to destroy the village.

He began to walk as quickly as he could with his mother by his side towards the woods on the far side of town. Several minutes passed with no one noticing their escape and he began to feel sure that they were going to get away.

An ostrich horse, its tail on fire, ran screeching past them catching the eye of a YuuYan archer.

"Survivors trying to escape!" The man shouted and turned his komodo rhino to chase after them.

His mother pushed him forward. "Run, Shiroten!"

But all he could do was stare. His mother, his thin and frail mother, ran forward to face the beast charging her, standing with all the might that a mother could but the beast didn't even slow, merely mowed her down as if she were nothing but a fly it might whisk off with its tail.

The YuuYan nocked an arrow to his bow and Shiroten dove to the side, instincts driving his body to the woods as the arrow flew just past his ear.

He made it into the woods but the YuuYan was right behind him. Pain seared through him as he dodged to the left and an arrow aimed for his heart pierced his right shoulder instead.

The moon slid behind a cloud when he ran out into a clearing. Halfway across the clearing a roaring river blocked his path. He stopped and turned as the YuuYan slowed his beast at the edge of the clearing.

Drawing an arrow from the quiver on his back, the YuuYan grinned.

"Nowhere to run, little boy."

Shiroten gritted his teeth. If only he were still a shadow-bender! It was hardly a wonder Zyperis didn't want him around anymore for all he had done was prove that he was just a hindrance.

"_I don't care about my light, I just want to be able to defend myself again! I am not weak!" _

"Don't mess with me," Shiroten hissed, some of his old confidence showing through.

The YuuYan just laughed. "Good-bye, little boy,"

The arrow flew and Shiroten tossed up an arm to protect himself on instinct but the arrow never hit. The YuuYan couldn't have possible missed!

Shiroten opened his eyes which he had automatically closed. The arm he held in front of him wasn't the Earth Kingdom tan anymore. It was pale, almost opaque. He didn't have to look to know his hair was now black as the new moon and his eyes rimmed in silver. He smirked.

The fire-benders turned from a victorious battlefield at the sound of a komodo rhino galloping up. As they turned, tendrils of shadow leapt from the woods at the throats of the men. Several fell and those remaining leapt to their feet to fight but were cut down immediately.

Shiroten rode in on the komodo rhino and then released it. All of the fire-benders were dead and the shadows crept up to gather around his feet.

"_We missed you…"_ they said.

Shiroten smiled. He now knew the Powers That Be didn't hate him as the shadows explained the gift he'd been given. He had more light in his soul than darkness but it times of trouble, he could lessen the light, dim it, and the shadows would come to him.

It was strange, but he was sure that he could remember seeing a fisherman sitting by the river.

_

* * *

He sat alongside a river. The river flowed continuously as its clear waters revealed nothing to the human eye. To his left sat an old fisherman, his line dangling in the water. To his right was a small child in a white dress, her knees folded to her chest and her chin resting on them. She rocked back and forth watching the water. Behind him stood a humanoid creature, male or female you could not tell, but its eyes were soft and its voice softer. _

"_There are things you cannot yet remember." _

_The child spoke next. "Things you must not yet remember." _

_The fisherman turned and met his gaze. "Forget all you know." _

_They spoke together. "But remember you shall when the words are spoken." _

* * *

Korosu rolled over, his head was pounding roughly. He touched his head and his hand came away bloody. Turning to a nearby mirror, he found the character for fire had been carved in his forehead. Taking some of the water left by the nurse, he splashed some over his face and the water turned pink. With a piece of red cloth he dried his face and then tied it over the mark.

A sound made him turned and Kagehi stood at the entrance to his tent.

"I kept everyone away." She said softly, as if afraid. Korosu smiled and ran his hand through her mane as she came nearer.

"Are you all right?"

She nodded. "It's stopped snowing but it's not melting. It's so cold."

Korosu pushed back the blankets and was hit with a sudden blast of icy wind. Kagehi shuddered as Korosu jerked the blankets back around him. Taking a deep breath of the cold air, Korosu determined he had been too worried about the mark on his forehead to notice the cold earlier.

He wrapped the blankets around his bare shoulders and tried to stand, nearly falling in the process. Kagehi caught him and he wrapped an arm around her neck for support. With her help he managed to get dressed warmly enough to brave it outside the protection of his tent.

Outside no one was recognizable due to the wrappings they wore to keep warm. An arm wrapped around his and he felt Kagehi tense then relax.

"Good morning, sleepy head." The girl said.

He had to search for her name. He knew it. He knew he knew it. It was there, somewhere, on the tip of his tongue.

"You look confused, Korosu." She said, her brow furrowing.

_It won't hurt._

"Jin, hi." He said, relaxing as her name and who she was flooded back into his mind.

She smiled. "Come, let's go get some breakfast."

* * *

Katara was the first to notice something had changed about their surroundings. She was also the first one to wake.

"Hey, guys, wake up!" she shouted.

Sokka rolled and looked up. The sky was at least 60 feet above them framed by jagged rocks.

Toph sat up. "Whoa, how did we get down here?"

Katara shrugged out of her sleeping bags. "Moreover, how did we get down here without being hurt? If we'd fallen, we'd have…"

She trailed off as she caught sight of what surrounded them. Pillars held up the surrounding earth as they lay on a ledge above a vast cave. Bridges and paths crisscrossed the air below them while what appeared to be books filled the walls.

"Oh dear,"

The voice caused them all to spin around sharply and stare at the vision that greeted them. What appeared to be a young man with sandy blonde hair was scratching his head as he watched them.

"You are not supposed to be down here, that you are not, no, this could be bad, that it could."


	5. Chapter 5

AN: In this chapter, the intro of Chapter 1 of Prophesied will be explained.

* * *

Chapter 5

The moonlight crept into the dark room lighting up the crimson sheets lying disheveled on the bed. The new Fire Lord sat on the window sill, the chill air flowing over him.

Sleep would not come for him. It would not come again for him in this lifetime.

A slight wind lifted his loose hair and he closed his eyes. Never had he done a single thing without thought. Everything was planned extensively, methodically. Every moment since his birth so long ago had been geared towards this time, this place. He knew what must be done.

"Keilantra and Tasuki, why did they have to die?"

Zyperis did not flinch at the sudden sound. "I did not tell him to kill them."

Haku frowned. "Sending an Abyss, even one as old as Seisui, not to kill them was a foolish decision."

Zyperis took the pillow at his feet and threw it at the Ki-Lin. Haku caught the missile and stared at it before giving Zyperis an annoyed look to find that he wasn't even paying attention anymore. His eyes were far away, watching something that wasn't there.

Looking back at the ornately embroidered pillow, Haku noticed that a seam on one side was newer than the others.

"Open it."

Haku looked up again and still Zyperis was not looking at him. Hooking his nails into the seam, he pulled the pillow apart. Feathers littered the floor but he caught what was hidden before it fell. Two scrolls, benign and obviously very old, Haku could feel their power. Opening the first, he closed his eyes in regret.

"This is what Keilantra stole from the temple?"

"It's actually a copy of what Keilantra wanted to steal but this set is the more valuable of the two. This was written by the same Seer that wrote the Prophecy."

There was a brief moment when the room seemed to be a little darker, a little colder, and then the moment was gone.

"You should go, Elder Haku. The sun is rising."

Haku stepped forward to hand Zyperis the scrolls.

"No, take them with you. They will be safer with you."

Haku frowned, wondering about the boy before him.

"Whatever this plan is that you have, it had better work."

Zyperis did not turn, merely lowered his gaze.

"I have only deviated from a plan once and the price I paid was dear."

Haku softened his gaze and allowed himself a small smile. "Yes, she was."

* * *

Sokka was on his feet in an instant, drawing his machete and prepared to strike. Toph sat still, and Aang just looked confused. Katara stared at the man before them but his appearance wasn't the most astonishing thing.

It was that he was standing approximately 3 feet from the ledge where they were, standing on thin air.

She stood up, separating herself from her sleeping bag.

"Who are you?"

He tilted his head and looked at her. "I'm the Library."

Sokka lowered his weapon. "What do you mean, the Library?"

The man raised his hands and motioned behind him. As he did, more torches burst into flame and halls and halls of books appeared. There seemed to be no clear organization. Books littered tables that appeared from nowhere but there were no chairs.

"I did have a name once but I can't remember…so much to remember now and I can't remember my own name."

He laughed but was suddenly serious again. "Do any of you have anything to add to the Library? I love learning new things!"

Sokka gave a cry and hid behind Aang. "It's Wan Shi Tong all over again."

The man tilted his head. "Wan Shi Tong? Oh yes."

As he spoke, images began to flash around him, images of an owl and of books.

"'He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things;' creature of the Spirit World; greedy; No, this temple is much older than Wan Shi Tong. He is a creature of this world. This Library, this temple is of another world."

Aang stood up and walked towards the man, stopping at the edge.

"Another world?"

He nodded. "Yes, this temple is to Origin, the center of all existence. Those you call gods came from Origin. There they were just people."

The images flashing around them changed, showing pictures of two men with black hair. Katara recognized the smaller of the two as the god Agni but before they could continue the images vanished.

"However, the Elders have forbidden mortals from knowing about Origin. It could damage this universe's existence."

Katara drew the blade of ice from her bag. "Well, maybe you can just tell me what this is."

Instantly, it was snatched from her hand. The ledge they had been standing on was gone as well as their stuff. Toph gave a cry since she could no longer see and the books around them blurred as they moved deeper into the library.

When they stopped, everyone but the man fell over. Katara got up on her knees and the man twirled the blade in his hand and then retracted the blade into the hilt.

"The Kun, the Blade of One Thousand Seas, one of the Heiki, forged from the soul of a Water Elemental to be wielded by the Daughter of Nen, to be joined with the Qiang, the Shou, and the Hiketsu to release the Light of the Four."

He handed it back to her. "If you have it, then you must be the Daughter of Nen. I will answer any questions you and your friends have."

"Who are the Elders?" Katara asked.

"The Elders are the oldest creature from each of the three Great Races: the Dragons, the Gryphons, and the Ki-Lin. With age comes power which makes these three the most powerful living beings. Currently, the Eldest Ki-Lin is Haku, the Eldest Dragon is Antaram, and the Eldest Gryphon is Skandranon. Haku lives in this world, Antaram and Skandranon live in Origin."

Aang stepped forward. "Why is there a temple for Origin?"

"Yeah, and what is Origin?" Sokka chimed in.

The man smiled. "Origin is the universe around which all other universes revolve. Life originated there. The Elementals, the Dragons, the Gryphons, and the Ki-Lin lived there in peace together. The Key was passed from race to race to guard the gate between worlds. Only the one who possessed the Key could pass freely between each universe. However, about two millenniums ago, an Abyss named Kolyn possessed an Elemental infant and the world of Origin was destroyed by the man the infant grew into."

"Wait, what's an Abyss?"

"An Abyss is a creature of ultimate darkness, born to balance the Ki-Lin who are creatures of pure light."

Katara frowned. "What about the Dragons and the Gryphons?"

"Dragons are creatures of sky and of fire. Gryphons are creatures of earth and of water."

"Then why do Gryphons have wings?" Sokka inquired and in reply the man shrugged.

Aang waved for them to quiet. "This man, how did he destroy Origin?"

"Some Elementals were born with a Spirit inside them, a Spirit of the element which allowed them to move their elements."

"Like bending?"

"Sh!"

The man blinked then continued. "Also, those that were not born with a Spirit could learn to move their elements from those with Spirits. Lord Colin convinced those that could learn that they needed to kill Elementals with Spirits in order to move their elements. They broke off from Sorcerors and called themselves Sorcerors."

"Only the Key knew the truth but he was only one Elemental. At the peak of Colin's power, the Key was a Fire Elemental named Coal. Coal managed to convince a few other Elementals of Colin's plot and with a girl who came through from another universe, they fought against Colin for control of Origin. The battles that ensued destroyed Origin's landscape but a deeper effect it had for the chaos disrupted Origin's balance. In order to save existence, the true Origin had to be abandoned and Coal and his followers left to found a new Origin."

Aang nodded. "And this is the new Origin isn't it?"

The man nodded. "In the creation of this world, they forgot who they were. They became different people. Coal became the god you know as Alem. His followers became the rest. Agni, Shasa, Nen, Mamoru, Samir, Kaia, and Makani."

Katara spoke up. "But what are we fighting? Who is it that the Prophesied Four are supposed to defeat?"

"Colin followed Coal across the universes. Coal, with the help of his Ki-Lin friend, managed to Seal him between worlds. Now the Seal is broken and Colin is free. He is whom you call the god of Death, Eimin."

Katara sat down hard. "We are supposed to defeat the god of Death. Why can't Alem and the other gods do it?"

The man looked sad. "Some things can't be done twice. They don't have the power."

"How can he be more powerful than all of them combined?"

"It is truly the Abyss living inside of Eimin that gives him his power. For thousands of years, Kolyn has been eating away at Eimin's humanity. When the last of that humanity is gone, Kolyn will be the most powerful being in existence, older than any other living creature, older even than the Elders. Nothing short of the Powers That Be will be able to stop him."

"Wait, then how are we supposed to defeat him?"

At that moment an enormous chime resounded through the halls.

The man laughed. "It seems the Elders are coming together for a meeting. You must go."

Instantly, they were standing where they began on the ledge.

Sokka scratched his head. "Well, that was a wonderful history lesson."

Aang laughed and pointed. "Hey look! Stairs!"

* * *

"Hi, Haku!"

Haku turned and watched the keeper of the Library walk up to him. They were in a large circular chamber, probably the only chamber in the Library not filled with books.

"Hello, Tome."

Tome snapped his finger and smiled. "So that's what my name was. I couldn't remember, that I could not. Will you need anything?"

"No, Tome, but you can watch after these for me."

Haku handed him the scrolls Zyperis had given him and watched the keeper squeal with delight at having something new to file. He then turned to greet the man and woman who had appeared in the chamber with him.

The woman was tall with black hair that nearly swept the floor. Her dress shimmered and seemed to be made of dragon scales. Her eyes had yellow sclera and black diamond pupils.

The man wasn't quite as tall as the woman. His eyes were golden like an eagle's and while his head was covered in thick black hair, it thinned and gave way to black feathers over his neck.

Haku frowned. "Tome apparently failed to inform me of Selendrion and Olome's death."

The woman's expression didn't change but the man lowered his head.

"I am Antaram." She said. "I was Selendrion's mate."

Haku nodded in response.

"I am Skandranon," the man added on. "Olome was my father."

Nodding again, Haku seemed to sink a little lower.

"You know Eimin is free again in this world. The Key and the Spirit of the Four need to be watched. He already managed to kill the Spirit but my sister Kanna rescued him from the afterlife. This is something a Ki-Lin can only do once. I have…"

He trailed off, his face darkening and for the first time Antaram showed an expression on her stone face. It was of concern.

Straightening, Haku continued. "I have much to do to prepare for the battle that will come. The Son and I have worked out a plan."

"The Son? He's in on this too?"

Haku nodded. "His fate was bound the day he was born."

Antaram looked to the only window in the room, a window that gave in no light and led nowhere.

"I will look after the Key."

Skandranon shrugged. "Then I will look after the Spirit."

Then they were gone, their passage in this path decided.

Haku sighed. There was so much to do.

* * *

They were climbing the stairs out of the Library. Sokka was the first one to reach the surface. He turned back and opening his mouth to say something. Katara looked up to meet his gaze as she heard him gasp.

The feathers of an arrows had blossomed from his chest.


	6. Chapter 6

"It's a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up."

J.K. Rowling, "The Hungarian Horntail," _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_, 2000

* * *

Chapter 6

The campfire was dying and Rou poked at the coals, trying to stir the last bits of life from them. Breakfast had been quick and eaten with frosty hands from beneath thick blankets. The change in weather had Jun flustered but Rou just took it in stride.

He felt the scream before he heard it. Even then, he knew that no one around him heard it. Still, the sound forced him to his feet and he took off running before Jun could register he was up.

"Rou!" he heard her shout as he ran but he didn't turn back or slow his step.

Somehow his feet found a place in the brush, branches thinner than his fingers supporting his weight.

He slid to a stop in a clearing when his way was blocked by a dark-haired man, perhaps nineteen maybe twenty.

The man said nothing but he had an aura Rou didn't like. Straightening from his crouch, Rou faced him sternly.

"I heard a scream." Rou stated to the man.

The man said nothing, his head remaining down.

Rou heard the brush behind him crashing and knew Jun was coming. When he turned back towards the front, the man had vanished.

Jun burst into the clearing on the back of Shirshu but the moment she was visible something hard connected with her side. She flew across the clearing and into a tree, sliding limply to the ground.

Shirshu screamed in anger. The man was poised on Shirshu's saddle, one arm stretched out to the side. He slammed his heel down and Shirshu whined in pain before falling to the ground.

Rou yelled in anger before he attacked the man but he had not been trained to deal with someone like him. The man was fast and seemed to know what he was going to do before he did it. His body moved without a purposeful thought. All he could feel was anger as his hands pushed forward, driving to cause the man pain.

* * *

Katara screamed when she saw the arrow in her brother's chest. She whipped out the Kun from its sheathe over her back and the frozen blade glowed with her anger. Leaping up the last few steps, the Kun whipped the newly fallen snow into bullets of frozen ice piercing the fire-benders' armor and destroying the YuuYans' bows.

The air around her crackled with power, haunting her, making every breath an eternity. Rage pumping blood through her body with echoing beats of her heart, so slow though she knew it was pounding.

Toph leapt up and as she landed the earth rumbled scattering the remaining fire-benders. Aang twisted on his heels, binding Katara's legs from the knee down. Unsteady, she nearly fell trying to keep her balance.

The fire-benders fled but the damage was done. Hot tears fell from her azure eyes as she turned. Aang released her from the earth and Katara pulled Sokka's head into her lap from where he had fallen.

* * *

Rou fell to his knees gasping for air that just wasn't there. He felt rather than saw the man stop behind him.

"Come on, remember, remember the power you were gifted with."

Rou turned his head slightly and wiped a bit of blood from his lip. The man's gloved hand connected with his jaw.

Jun screamed as the man brutally beat him but she was unable to move.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Rou barely struggled as the man grabbed him by the throat and held him at least a foot off the ground at arm's length. A white sphere framed by dark spires began to form in the man's free hand. The man was saying something but Rou couldn't quite understand. Then he realized that the man was speaking the Old Language.

"_If I have to kill you to awaken your soul, I will." _

Rou grabbed the man's fist.

"_That won't be necessary, Son of those forgotten."_

The man smiled.

"_At last you return. Even the Ki-Lin's magic could not release the spell holding you back."_

Rou blinked and the man was gone. Shirshu shook his head and stood, apparently unharmed as was Jun.

"What was that?" she asked, shakily standing as though winded.

Rou shook his head. "We need to go. I now understand why I was born in this time, in this place. I now understand who I am and I am needed elsewhere."

* * *

The snow was falling faster now making his obsidian coat stand out. The wind drove his mane into his face as he waited. At last she appeared from the dark glades of the forest. Her emerald eyes stood out against the onyx of her hide.

"Eldest Haku," She said, dipping her alicorn in respect.

"Chiemi," He replied, nodding to her.

As she raised her head those wise eyes so colored for the element she used to represent glistened brightly. They were quickly joined by a young Ki-Lin, barely visible in the wind and snow, his sea foam mane and tail shipping about wildly. His coat had just begun to darken.

Chiemi turned in response to his arrival and greeted him. He bowed his head to Haku, his sides covered in sweat pulsing with his heavy breath.

"Greetings, my lord Haku," he panted. "My name is Iritani, taking the place of Yaotel."

Haku nodded. "I am glad you are both here."

Chiemi moved forward and laid her neck against his. She already knew her place in this matter.

Haku tolerated the touch for a short minute before turning to Iritani.

"Yaotel was a great warrior. His experience will be sorely missed."

Iritani gathered himself before answering. "Forgive me, sir. I may be young to you but my lack of experience does not mean I am not a great warrior."

"It's true," Chiemi said softly. "He did not get to lead the Ki-Lin armies without having skill."

"Ready your armies for an epic war, Iritani. I have a feeling our people will be greatly depleted by the soon to come battles."

Iritani bowed his head and Chiemi laid her head across Haku's withers. As Iritani cantered off to ready his troops, Chiemi sighed.

"I never thought I would be next, uncle."

Haku managed a chuckle at his niece's comment. "Nor did I, little one, nor did I."

* * *

"Why is this happening?" Katara choked out. She couldn't stop the pain that kept trying to burst from her ribcage.

Sokka drew harsh breaths while Aang looked at the arrow, trying to see it as Katara or another healer would. Toph raised her head after a moment.

"Enemy approaching fast!"

Sokka sat up, drawing his machete to him. "You guys get out of here."

Katara wrapped an arm around him but he shoved her back as he stood.

"No, Katara, I'm not going to make it and you won't get to Appa if you take me with you."

Aang gripped his staff hard, glaring at the woods where he could now hear the underbrush crashing. Katara started to draw the Kun once more feeling that Aang would stand by her in her decision to stay.

Then Aang grabbed her about the waist and began to run for Appa, calling the bison's name, with Toph in close pursuit. Katara screamed to distraught to fight against the younger's grip. As Appa carried them into the air, she watched Sokka fall once more until the woods faded into the sudden rain clouds.

* * *

Nen froze in the hall of the Fire Nation palace, the tea tray she'd been carrying to Admiral Min's room falling and shattered on the glistening floors. Her hands frozen where they were, her eyes were wide and her lips slightly parted. She was trembling and a guard rushed forward and caught her as she fell. There was no need to anger the Admiral by allowing his favorite slave to injure herself.

She stared at her hands; they were shaking and trembling before her, clean dark skin calloused by hard work and care.

To her goddess' eye, black chains were falling from them and shattering. Pulling herself up, she ran from the guard and up the stairs at the right of the end of the hall, barely missing a group of Fire Nation nobility who called curses after her. The guard was chasing her now as she moved into a section of the palace she wasn't allowed.

When she finally reached the door she wanted, it was heavy and she could barely push it back. She fell into Zyperis' arms when it slipped away from her and she nearly fell once again. A few Fire Nation officials stared at her in shock but she gripped his shoulder fiercely.

"What is happening to me, Zyperis? Where is Katara?"

Zyperis smiled slightly, making the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced.

"She's fine."

"Then how?"

"What were my father's exact words to you that day?"

She stopped and thought. One of the Fire Nation officials called Zyperis' name.

"'Serve me and your child shall not die.' Sokka!"

She pushed him back a step and dodged the guards at the door, running down the halls towards the balcony overlooking the sea. Without even slowing her step, she leapt onto the railing and out over the ocean.

The last of the black chains fell away and she was free from Eimin forever.

She hit the water letting her true form flow into her once more after so many years. Her body elongated as her arms stretched out into thin but wiry legs, her hands lengthening into webbed claws, and a dorsal fin erupted from her back.

Zyperis smiled as the shouts from the harbor reached the chamber he was in.

Now if Eimin could just do his job and capture the rest of the gods, the Balance would be set.

Waving the officials away, he took out a paper written in his own careful hand. Moving into the next room, he sank to rest on the chaise as he cautiously read over the spell again. Yes, he reassured himself, everything was set. He hadn't forgotten a thing.

The Spell of Blood was a complicated thing indeed and if one little thing was wrong then the whole spell would be lost. A combination of great darkness and great light, sacrifice and pain, a powerful soul, and of course the Balance of the world must be exactly pitched. It was all utterly impossible to think about.

A young scribe entered the prince's chamber to find that the young Peris was fast asleep. The scribe covered him with a crimson blanket and closed the light curtains before slipping away.

* * *

Katara was the first to hit the ground when Appa landed. Her body trembled with rage she couldn't express. She tore the Kun from her back and threw it across the clearing into the mud. It was followed by her bending canteen and the water-bending scrolls she kept with her.

"I can't do this anymore!" she shouted. "I don't want to save the world! I just want to go home and live with my family away from all this death and destruction!"

She sank to the ground, her rage turning to grief.

"Why did Sokka have to die? Tell me that!"

"Katara," Aang whispered.

"Oh just be quiet!" She sobbed. "How would you know what its like to lose a family member? First my mother, now Sokka, and I'm sure my father will die fighting in this pointless war! Why does this have to happen to me?"

A chuckle came from the edge of the clearing as the rain turned to snow. A man with dark hair dressed in a dark cloak and hood stood there. Even though the wind was cold his shirt was made of woven net. In contrast, he wore thick boots and heavy dark pants.

"Who are you?" Toph asked.

Katara scrambled to her feet. Already the puddles on the ground were beginning to frost over. The man walked over carrying an armful of wood. When he dropped the sticks in the middle of the clearing, Aang noticed every single piece was dry when it had been raining for hours. The man waved his hand over the pile of wood and they burst into flame. Warmth and light flooded the clearing as the fire burned merrily as if it had been lit for hours.

Sitting down, the man waved for them to join him. As he did, the earth rose and formed an elegant shelter over them, even covering Appa.

"My name is Haku and I am a Ki-Lin. I came to keep watch over you and answer some of your questions."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: "Oshi" is a Japanese board game somewhat like chess. Name is derived from the Japanese word meaning 'push.'

AN: And by the way if you noticed how everyone comments when Korosu says his name, "korosu" means "murder."

AN: If you're wondering what the hell Zyperis is up to, Good.

* * *

Chapter 7

The water steamed over the tea leaves filling the room with a pleasant aroma. Zyperis replaced the teapot on the coals and sat back on his heels, placing his hands in his lap. Eimin picked up the scalding cup and sipped the near boiling water.

"Perfect, as always. Can you do nothing wrong?"

"I try." Zyperis said softly. Exhaustion was written in every line on his face and his eyes were half-closed.

"You changed the composition of your soul. How?"

"I was tired of dealing with my human emotions. I transferred the light of my soul into Shiroten and then killed him, effectively destroying all of my humanity."

Eimin chuckled. "I was wondering where he want. No loss though."

Then Eimin's voice deepened, sounding almost as if two voices were speaking from one mouth.

"I'm proud of you, Zyperis. This world needs more Abyss."

Zyperis ducked his head quickly. "Lord Kolin, what an honor."

Kolin chuckled. "Raise your head, boy. At least for the moment, let us speak as equals. I know what it is to deal with human emotions but with every day I grow stronger. Soon this human body will not restrict me and you have done a great deal in clearing the way for my destruction of this world."

He uttered a low growl. "Those brats in Origin didn't know what they were dealing with. If I had an inkling of my true strength at the time they would not have imprisoned me. I will destroy this world with the very power they would turn against me."

"We must capture the remainder of Alem's children."

Kolin snorted derisively. "Yes, that was the main factor of my plans: defeating Alem with his own children and yet, how did Nen escape my grasp?"

"Her son was killed in a battle. You should've chosen your words more carefully."

Kolin gave him a sharp glare before striking Zyperis across the mouth, causing him to fall to the floor.

Zyperis rose up on his right arm and tasted blood, forcing himself to relax.

"When you have lived half as long as I have," Kolin snarled. "I may let you argue with me. Until then, don't lecture me on sorcery."

Zyperis sat up and retook his position. "Forgive me, my lord."

Kolin retreated into his human body and Zyperis relaxed slightly. Dealing with Eimin was easier but dealing with Kolin was…too complicated to risk. His gaze drifted to the Maiden, the sword Shiroten had forged for him, half-finished runes covering the blade.

* * *

Mamoru watched the figure of Agni in the night sky grow larger. Kaia came up behind him wrapped in a green shawl and he placed an arm around her. He could feel she was tense.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you again."

"It's not that. Kioko is dead."

Mamoru gave her shoulders a little squeeze and she began trembling.

"What would've happened between us if we hadn't lost our son?"

He closed his eyes, gripping her shoulders unconsciously tight but she didn't notice.

"It is not the time to dwell on the past when the future is so uncertain."

She nodded and watched as Agni glided into the clearing. As he hovered over them, they both morphed into their true form: Mamoru into his wolf form and Kaia into the shape of a tigress.

The three then headed off to the south.

* * *

Cold sunlight streamed in through a gap in the tent's wall but the fire in the center was enough to chase the bare chill away. Haru sat up carefully as the world tried to spin around him and he blinked until it steadied and fell into place. His chest and right shoulder were wrapped in bandages.

Shakily standing, he turned his shoulder, testing it. Though stiff, it wouldn't hinder him much. A woman came in with a few small snow-covered branches and placed them on the fire where they hissed and crackled. She smiled at him.

"You're lucky you weren't hurt worse when you fell and lucky that Lord Korosu found you."

Haru raised his hand to his head at the world tried to flutter again and was distracted by the soft clinking of the beads on his wrist, the beads that had appeared from his dream. Again, those words that had caused his distraction in the snow flashed through his mind again.

_Rise, Son of Earth. _

He was an earth-bender: that was simple enough but he had a feeling that those words meant something more, much more than they were letting on.

A few hours later a soldier came and helped him dress then escorted him to a larger tent where several older men and one young one were gathered around a table littered with parchment and what looked like oshi pieces.

Haru stifled a cry when what he thought was part of the crimson tent moved and stepped into the light. It was a beautiful blood-colored Ki-Lin with flaxen wings extending nearly to the top of the tent. She stepped forward and placed her head over the shoulder of the young man listening to the generals.

The young man turned his head and met Haru's gaze. His eyes were yellow, like a wolf's, and gave off the same predatory hunger. Haru set his jaw and forced himself to step forward.

Just then, the beads hanging from his wrist began to whine. Haru stepped back and covered them with his free hand, looking around trying to think of an excuse but no one had even glanced up. The young man with the Ki-Lin was still looking at him and when Haru met his gaze again the beads' song rose in pitch. The man motioned for them to go outside and stepped out of the tent, the Ki-Lin following him.

Haru stepped out of the tent, back the way he came, and went around the side to find the young man walking away from the camp. He fell in step with the man and followed him to the river running just outside of the camp. The edges of the river were beginning to ice over from the cold and the sky looked ready to deliver another blanket of snow.

The young man looked at the sky and folded his arms into his crimson robe. The wind played with a few strands of hair that had fallen loose of his topknot.

"My name is Korosu."

Haru frowned. "That is a strange name."

"It's the only one I know. I do not remember anything before the Battle of Shian. Jeong Jeong says that I am the Son of Agni. I wouldn't know."

Haru remembered hearing the name of the Fire Nation deserter and looked closer at the man beside him, trying to place his face. He did look somewhat familiar.

"It seems our Heiki wanted us to meet."

"Our what?"

Korosu pulled a golden staff from his robe and with it tapped the gold and emerald beads on Haru's arm.

"Our Heiki, the weapons forged from the souls of Elementals to be wielded by the Prophesied Four."

Haru raised his hand and looked at the beads. He felt his heart speeding up as he remembered the Prophecy told to him by the gods. Shaking his head, he lowered his arm and broke the gaze of the young man.

"You know, when I heard that Prophecy, I felt sorry for the Four. Now I'm one of them."

Korosu smiled slightly, his gaze softening. "It seems the Powers That Be don't like giving choices."

_That's not true._

Haru jumped, looking startled around the clearing. "Who said that?"

Korosu narrowed his eyes. "You heard that? That was my Heiki speaking."

"They speak?"

'_They' are forged from souls of Elementals so naturally our conscious remains awake inside of them. _

"Close your eyes," Korosu whispered. "And listen."

Haru closed his eyes, the hand wrapped in beads gripped until his knuckles turned white. Beside him, Korosu lowered his head and closed his eyes, sinking deeper into the warm cloak around his shoulders.

Haru listened but all he heard was the noise of the camp. Women chasing their children, men sharpening their swords, the generals talking in the tent…wait, he could hear the generals as clearly as if they were standing next to him.

Korosu's deep calm breathing was suddenly as loud to him as the wind of the blizzard. Every sound was deep and solid, echoing in his breath. Shifting his weight, he heard his foot grind against the leaves and snow.

He was hearing the very earth, hearing his very soul.

When he opened his eyes, he was standing in the same place but there were subtle changes to the world around him, subtle but noticeable. The sounds of the camp were barely audible while the sound of the wind was as clear to him as his own thoughts.

A woman was standing in front of him. Korosu was still beside him but now a man stood behind him.

"Hiraishin has been training me."

Haru looked at the man behind Korosu. He was tall with all the characteristics he'd come to expect of a Fire Nation man but his eyes were softer. Then Haru turned to look at the woman.

"Hello Haru, my name was once Terumi."

"Was?"

"Technically," Hiraishin intercepted, "We are not alive. We are just Spirits inside the Heiki."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Terumi laughed. "We volunteered for the job."

Hiraishin smiled. "Immortality? The chance to save the world again? Who wouldn't have volunteered? But they forgot to mention how small our living space was."

Terumi laughed and Korosu smiled but Haru shook his head.

"This is too weird. How am I one of the Four now? I'm an earth-bender so shouldn't my job belong to the Daughter of Kaia?"

All three of them were immediately downcast. Korosu closed his eyes and looked away. Hiraishin frowned, his gaze darkening and Terumi sighed.

"The Daughter of Kaia is dead. They transferred her responsibility to Kaia's son."

Haru took a step back as he registered what she had said.

"Wait, that's not possible. My mother's name is Yukito. My father's name…"

"No. You were stolen by the Dark Sage Qing-Yuan is service to her master, Eimin. Your true parents are Mamoru and Kaia, the gods of Earth."

"I don't believe you. My parents raised me. They love me. They would never lie to me like that."

With the loss of his concentration, Haru slipped back into the normal.

Terumi nodded to Hiraishin and Korosu and they both disappeared, slipping back into the normal world and time then she sighed.

Korosu blinked and then looked at Haru who shook his head and raced back up the hill towards the camp, slipping on the snow some but disappearing quickly. Korosu sighed and watched the river flow.

Jin stepped out from behind a tree and stood by Korosu.

"What's his problem?"

Korosu didn't answer, just stared forward. Jin sighed and started to wrap her arms around him but then thought better of it and just stood next to him. Though he didn't acknowledge her, she stayed right by him, waiting even as the sun began to set.


	8. Chapter 8

Life is the sum of all your choices. -Albert Camus

Chapter 8

Katara sat by the fire trembling, staring across the flames at the Ki-Lin. She remembered his name being said by the man in the library. They had been silent for a while now as Aang, Toph, and herself became used to the warmth. Sitting with her knees tucked to her chest, she studied the Ki-Lin's face.

The first thing she noticed of course was that his eyes were the most incredible blue that she had ever seen. She knew he had to be older than anything she could think off but he looked barely 3 years older than she was but the light deepened the dark circles beneath his eyes. If it weren't for these telltale signs of worry, the spell of ethereal beauty might not have been broken. Despite his smile and light way of talking, Katara could tell something was bothering him.

"You're the Eldest Haku. I remember the man in the Library said your name."

Haku chuckled lightly but didn't look away from the fire.

"Tome keeps forgetting to mention things to me."

The silence spilled on between them and at last, Haku sat back and folded his hands under his cloak.

"I see I'm not going to get anywhere until I mention dear Sokka."

Toph tried and failed to suppress a shuddering sob.

"He's really dead, isn't he?"

Aang placed an arm around her and trembled. Watching them only deepened the intense loneliness in her heart. She knew Sokka's death had affected them too but she had been so unselfish for so long, following Aang without hesitation. She had lost so much.

Haku sighed. The sound caught Katara's attention and she jerked her head up. The Ki-Lin's eyes were particularly glistening as he spoke his next words.

"I have no doubt your brother's death was part of the Speaker's plan."

Aang gripped his staff a little harder, glaring forward.

"If this Speaker killed Sokka, I'll hill him."

Haku didn't move or speak again for several minutes.

"I doubt you could, Avatar. The Speaker is stronger than Alem at times, could be stronger than I know."

"Who is this Speaker?" Katara asked, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder. She felt so far from him even as their flesh brushed.

"Perhaps I should start with what he is. He has had many names over the centuries: the Son, the Speaker, the Deceiver, the Child of Those Forgotten, etc. Yet, essentially, he was born of the Powers That Be and speaks for them, acting out what they cannot, existing in worlds they can't touch, and manipulating the Pattern of Life to fit their plan. It is his duty to make sure things turn out the way they should."

Katara tossed her head, holding back tears. "Well, with all you powerful immortals running around, why don't you take care of Kolyn and leave us alone?"

"Because when Kolyn strikes, he will be more powerful than anything you can imagine, stronger than the Speaker, stronger than me and the other Elders put together. When he breaks free of his prison, he will be the oldest thing alive."

"And 'nothing short of the Powers That Be can stop him.' The man in the Library said so. So how do we beat him? And the Speaker…what is he going to do to help us?" Aang snapped.

Haku raised his head and glared at the young Avatar. "You do realize that people are dying to help you everyday? They are those that are preparing to give their lives, to lay them down at your feet, when Kolyn comes. The Speaker, Antaram, Skandranon, myself…we are all prepared to follow the Four into battle."

Aang looked away, silent tears streaming down his face.

"I've lost friends and family."

"So have I." Haku replied softly. "The Speaker's plan killed my mate and child."

The silence stretched on with no one willing to speak after Haku. At long last, the Ki-Lin spoke again.

"We do what we must. Suffer as we must suffer. All for the greater good so that light may triumph over darkness."

He turned to Katara. "In each of the four Heiki, the weapons that the Four wield…"

Katara unconsciously reached for the Kun.

"In each of them resides a soul of an Elemental that lived in Origin, an Elemental that freely gave up his or her life preparing for this day. Those four souls combined with the will of the Four will release the Spell of Light, a spell carefully prepared by the Seer that foresaw this time and the Speaker millennia ago."

Katara took a deep breath. "Zuko and I, and Kioko, and Jet…we have to release this Spell of Light using our weapons when Kolyn is released. How?"

"Frankly, I'm not sure. However, I want to give you a bit of good news."

Aang smiled, trying to summon some of his once cheerful spirit. "What is that?"

"I believe there was a dual purpose to Sokka's death the first being of course to free Nen from Eimin's control and the second, I think, was to assist the god Alem in discovering his true power."

* * *

The path to the clearing was nothing but trampled brush that Shirshu stepped delicately over, hissing. Rou sat behind Jun on the saddle, leaning back and surveying the damage. His mind was back with the man who had begun to awaken memories that he could barely sort through before more came rushing in.

They were memories of fear, of desperation, and of very many battles.

He barely noticed when Jun stopped Shirshu and said, "It wasn't much of a battle."

* * *

The world was spinning rapidly. He saw himself, his life as if rewound, playing backwards but it continued as if time had lost its hold past his birth and on. At last everything came to a standstill. He was floating above a sea of silver grass, a mild wind brushing the blades back and forth.

"Hello Sokka,"

Sokka spun around as best he could. His form seemed to be shimmering.

"Yue!"

She smiled. "Yes, I'm here but you weren't supposed to die."

He shrugged. "It was a risk we all took."

* * *

Rou slipped from the saddle to land softly on the ground. He felt as if he knew the Water Tribe soldier from somewhere but he couldn't place the face. Three arrows stuck out from the teenager's chest and Rou pulled them out as gently as he could as he rolled the still warm corpse onto its back and kneeled behind its head.

Jun jumped down onto the grass. "Rou, what are you doing?"

Rou smoothed a loose strand of hair from the boy's forehead. "I haven't done this in a while."

* * *

Minutes passed like hours and they just sat on the silver hillside, his arms wrapped around his princess and his face buried in her hair. Her hand rested on his chest, her head nuzzled underneath his chin. He tilted her chin up and kissed her.

* * *

Rou leaned down and pressed his lips to the soldier's.

Jun watched as light erupted through the clearing enveloping Rou and the soldier. Shirshu reared up on his hind legs and shook himself when he landed.

"Rou?" Jun whispered.

The light was gone as suddenly as it had appeared. Jun rushed over to Rou as he stood up. She followed his gaze to the soldier and gasped as he blinked and opened his eyes, sitting up slowly.

Furrows appeared in Rou's forehead. "Something is wrong. Were you kissing anyone when I revived you, Sokka?"

Sokka spun around. "How do you know my name? Who are you?"

Rou smiled. "I believe I am the god you know as Alem."

* * *

Chief Arnook knelt in the oasis by the pool of Tui and La, placing his head in his hands. He said nothing, pleading with his heart and mind for his people.

Before him, the Moon Spirit began to glow slightly. When he looked up, there was a young woman lying naked in the grass across the pool, her silver white hair falling over her body.

Rushing over, Arnook took off his cloak and wrapped her in it as she pushed herself up on her hands. She looked up wonderingly.

"Daddy?"

"Oh dear goddess, my Yue."

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?"

Haru stopped. "How did you get here before me?"

Korosu had even managed to change clothes from the normal Fire Nation clothing to black pants with a loose black cotton shirt.

"It was too predictable. Knowing what you would do gave me plenty of time to plan. If you're going to the children, they are already safely in the camp. If you are going home, I won't let you."

Haru tore the beads from his wrist and threw them at Korosu's feet.

"You can't make me be one of the Four!"

Korosu picked up the beads. "The appropriate response now is that you don't have a choice, but you do. I'm simply not going to allow you to make the choice you are making."

"So now you're going to control my decisions? Make them for me?"

Haru stepped forward, drawing a large ball of earth up and holding it in front of him.

"Get out of my way!"

Just as the last word left his mouth, his lungs deflated as the rock in front of him exploded and a fist connected with his diaphragm. He was thrown back several feet, landing on his back stunned and gasping for breath.

He recovered his breath and slammed his fists into the ground as he jumped up sending shockwaves across the ground. Rushing forward, Haru sought to catch Korosu while he still struggled with his balance but when he got through the cloud of dust to where Korosu had been, the fire-bender wasn't there.

Haru then felt a hand grasp his chin and shove him up and backwards again. This time he fell on his feet and glared back at Korosu standing in front of him so nonchalantly.

"Why are you doing this, Haru? Will you let the world die because you cannot except that the mother and father you know are not your parents?"

Haru began to shiver. "You don't understand. I have to hear it from them."

"We don't have time for you to travel home. The Fire Nation could attack at any time and with them comes Eimin."

Shaking his head, Haru stood. Korosu met his gaze with what seemed to be sympathy.

"Yukito and Tyro will always love you yet if you return to them then our battle against Eimin will fail. It may take some time afterwards, but eventually the village you call home will be overcome with shadow."

Korosu tossed the beads up and caught them.

"If you want to let the world die then you are my enemy and I will break every bone in your body and carry you back until you change your mind."

Haru stared back at him trying to catch his breath. Both of Korosu's moves has been specially placed to incapacitate him instead of wound him. He did not want to get into a full-fledged battle with him.

"It gets easier." Korosu said softly.

"Easier?"

"To live with the fact that your real parents don't want you."

Haru stood a little straighter. "Guess I've been a little selfish." He sighed. "I'd better go apologize to Terumi."

Korosu smiled. "I'm sure she'll understand."

* * *

It had long since stopped snowing and the night sky was dark with cloud that promised more to come. Katara wrapped her cloak around her and walked out to the edge of the cliff they had camped on. The wind whipped the waves below into froth, churning as if with her troubled heart.

"You should be inside. The others are already asleep."

Katara smiled. "I didn't hear you come up."

Haku nodded. "A trait of my kind."

"What did you mean when you said you didn't know how the Spell of Light would work?"

"I'm not a sorcerer so I don't know the fine details. I just know what is supposed to happen. The Speaker will know what to do."

Katara frowned. "This Speaker…have we met him in our travels? I mean, he just seems to be such a major part of everything…"

"Yes," Haku cut her off. "You've met him."

She swallowed hard. "He seems so cruel, taking away those that people love. Can't he change his plans so not as many people get hurt?"

"He did deviate from his plans…once…and sustained such a personal loss he swore never to do so again."

Katara looked at Haku. "What happened?"

"I mentioned the Seer who wrote the Prophecy inside. Shortly after Alem and his followers left Origin to form this world, the Speaker went to her for her help in forging the Heiki. He needed a spell to withdraw the souls of the Elementals and place them in the Heiki. She agreed to help him and because there were many special ingredients needed, he stayed with her until the spell could be finished."

"He fell in love with her."

"And she with him. He abandoned his duty to forge the Heiki to be with her. But you see, the Seer's gift of foresight had aged her body preternaturally. Even though she was young, her skin was wrinkled and her bones fragile. The people who lived in the village below her house believed that she had bewitched him into staying with her because he was a beautiful man. One night, they attacked her house and killed her believing it would break the spell on him."

Katara trembled. "But he wasn't under a spell. What happened then?"

"The Speaker left the town to continue his quest for the Heiki. He believed he had been punished for leaving his plans and blamed himself for her death. He swore never to forsake his duty again and named the spell they had concocted together the Spell of Punishment."

"How many spells are there?"

"Thousands but I only know three: the Spell of Punishment, the Spell of Light, and the Spell of Blood."

Katara sat down in the snow. "I guess we all sacrifice for the greater good."

Haku nodded. "It is necessary evil."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Haku turned to Katara. "Would you like to meet the Speaker?"

She turned sharply. "Meet him?"

"I'm not sure how he would like it, but I feel you have a right to know who he is."

Haku frowned. "In fact, I doubt he would like it at all. I don't think you'd like it either. When you met him, he was an enemy to you."

Katara stood firm, holding her head high. "I don't care. I have to know how I'm supposed to defeat Kolyn and according to you, he's the only one who knows."

There was a soft flutter of wind and Haku stood beside her in his Ki-lin form. She suddenly felt insignificant beside him. If he had been intimidating in his human form, it was nothing compared to now.

Slowly, he bent one knee and knelt before her clearly indicating what she was to do but she stood still.

Haku chuckled, a deep sound from within his chest.

"I have only offered my back to one human besides you. Don't be afraid."

Katara walked forward and swung her leg over his back. As he stood, she felt the surge of power beneath her and threw her arms around his neck.

* * *

Ziri sat with a sigh on the nearest boulder he could find next to the stream, peeling off his clothes to bathe. Kanna had not let them rest, pushing him on to what she called his duty. He had worn his clothes until they were as tough as his boots and then worn them still. At last, she said they could stop; however, she did not rest as he did. Instead she stood a ways away, unmoving, ever looking to the south beyond the trees, her snow white cloak unmoved by the gentle breeze. 

The water was edged with ice and chilled him to the bone but it felt so good to be clean for the first time in so long. He scrubbed his clothes and then wrapped up in his own cloak to wait for them to dry. Unlike his regular clothes, the cloak Kanna had given him never became caked with ice, or made him too hot, or became stiff with over-wearing.

Wrapped in the cloak even the snow didn't seem as cold and he walked over to the edge of the cliff where the stream erupted into beautiful waterfall. He sat by the edge and looked over. The crevice in the earth was deep. The water disappeared into the black abyss and it seemed to fall forever with no echo of the torrential crash at the bottom.

"Something my brother used to say," Kanna stated. "'When you look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you."

Below him, something seemed to move. Ziri leaned further over the edge to get a better look. Again, it seemed like the bottom of the crevice was moving. Whatever was down there was huge.

Suddenly Kanna grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him backwards. Ziri skidded over the snow until he came to a stop. When he looked back to her, she had changed into her Ki-Lin form and an enormous dark cloud was rising up from the crevice.

_

* * *

Fire…the trees…_

_Dark shapes…arrows…_

_Blood…her blood…_

* * *

Zyperis treaded softly to where the Fire Lord lay dying. He pressed his cheek to the man's upraised hand and closed his eyes. 

"All goes well." He said, talking as much to himself as to Ozai.

The sick man smiled. "I knew it would with you taking charge."

Zyperis smiled weakly. Ozai raised his free hand and patted his cheek.

"You look thin, Peris. You are taking care of yourself aren't you?"

"I admit I'm stretching myself thin. I want so much to live up to those before me."

It was strange that this man, this victim of his, was the only one he could speak to honestly.

"Don't forget yourself." Ozai replied. "You can't appear like this to the people. You have dark circles under your eyes and you look half-starved."

He called to a servant and ordered her to bring them some food.

"I'm just afraid," Zyperis continued, lying down next to the Fire Lord who wrapped an arm around him.

"I'm afraid that I've missed something, that something I've not foreseen is going to happen and all will go horribly wrong."

"We make mistakes to learn from them. I don't think you've ever made one."

Zyperis sighed. "That's why I'm afraid. Have I done things too well?"

Ozai chuckled but did not reply. By the time the maid had returned with food, the Fire Lord was asleep and Zyperis was gone.

* * *

Sokka ate with gusto like one half-starved. The inn was large but quiet, travelers too tired to engage in much conversation. Jun ignored the reborn Water Tribe soldier for she had eyes only for Rou. He had been rather quiet the past couple of days, his eyes almost weary now. 

Noticing her gaze, he turned and smiled. "Where to next, Jun?"

She shrugged and the boy stopped eating long enough to throw in a word.

"I have to find Katara and Aang and Toph! They probably still think I'm dead."

Rou's smile grew somber but remained there none the less and he nodded.

"Yes, I think that's the way we should go."

Sokka shoved another mouthful in. "By the way," he said, muffled by the chewing of food, "Who are you guys again?"

"Jun," she replied for the fifth time.

"I'm…Rou." He responded and Jun noted the hesitation. She wondered but she said nothing.

* * *

Katara was surprised when her body fell in line with Haku's step instantly as they skipped across the waves with a speed she couldn't comprehend. He moved as lithely as a cat, surefooted over the storm waves. The rain which should've hit her like bullets never made it to her skin. 

With her hands wrapped in his silken mane, she couldn't enjoy the experience with the apprehension of meeting the Speaker just ahead of her.

Maybe he knew if Zuko was okay.

_

* * *

Deception…disgrace…_

He hadn't shed a tear in centuries. Even when he had left, it had been dry sobs that wracked his body until he collapsed.

"You lied to me, Haku."

Katara looked around sharply. She'd barely felt Haku stop moving. They were in a place she'd never seen before but a dark aura from in front of her made her feel sick. At the top of a hill before them stood another Ki-Lin and a dark-haired man and she slipped down from Haku's back suddenly glad she had brought the Kun.

"Chiemi," Haku said, walking forward and Katara followed. The Ki-Lin nodded to him before returning her gaze forward. The dark-haired man wore a mask over most of his face, only showing his mouth. The mask was pure white and carved in the likeness of a creature she'd never seen before, some type of large cat. The rest of his clothing was black giving the mask a look of floating against the night sky.

Haku turned. "I did not lie to you. I said the pain would heal with time. I did not say how long it would take."

Katara spun around. "It's you?"

The Speaker turned and she could feel his stare through the eyes in his mask and Katara shook her head and drew the Kun, holding it between him and her. The frozen blade began to glow with her anger.

"You killed my brother!"

"Katara!" Haku said reproachfully but she stood there, shaking. However, the Speaker did not draw the blade that hung on his back.

"Your brother's alive, Katara. His death fulfilled two purposes, releasing your mother from her bondage and bringing Alem into his true power, the power over life and death. "

"Why must you be so cold," she cried, tears spilling down her tired cheeks. "So cruel,"

He sighed. "Someone must be. You may hate me for it but admit it must be done. Someone must make the decisions no one else can make. It is Fate that is cruel, I only speak for it."

The Kun fell to the ground and she cried soundlessly. Behind the mask, his gaze softened.

"In answer to your next question, Zuko is well."

Katara dropped the Kun but the Speaker stepped forward and caught her as she fell. It felt so strange lying there in the arms of the man who'd caused so much pain and being watched by two immortal creatures.

"Tell me there's a happy ending."

She felt his smile rather than saw it.

"Happy endings are just stories that haven't finished yet."

He gently pulled her to her feet and she followed his gaze to the valley below them. Chiemi and Haku were watching as well and in the valley floor a hole opened, the earth falling in as if it had been eaten away from below.

Chiemi laid her ears back flat and stamped a hoof. "Please tell me we can kill them, Speaker."

Katara looked to the masked man and he seemed to contemplate for a moment. Then he drew the sword from its sheathe on his back.

"Yes. I think it's time we let Kolyn know we're here."

Katara picked up the Kun and Chiemi drew herself up. Haku merely gave himself a mild shake. At first Katara couldn't see what they were talking about and then something moved in the valley floor.

People…no…things were crawling out of the hole in the valley floor; grotesque manifestations of something that might have been living centuries ago but clearly was no more. The moon fell on the swarm and one such creature raised its head. Katara automatically recoiled. The thing had no eyes, two slits for nostrils and a gaping hole where its mouth should've been. It gave an unearthly screech and she could actually see its vocal cords vibrating.

"You shouldn't have brought her, Haku." The Speaker said.

Katara shook her head. "I'll have to face them sometime or another."

"For Mother." Chiemi said softly.

"For life," Haku said.

The Speaker remained silent for a moment but then spoke.

"For Ana."

Katara closed her eyes. She felt as if the Kun itself was speaking to her. She raised the blade straight over her head.

"_Notame Heiwa!" _She shouted at the top of her lungs.

She blinked with surprise as the Speaker thrust his sword into the air beside hers and shouted the same. Chiemi screamed it while raised on her hind legs and Haku gave a fearsome cry as they all thrust forward. She had little time to think about what it was she had said before the first of the undead was upon them. At first Katara froze, unable to think, when the snarling beast was split in half by the Speaker's sword.

Then instinct took over. The Kun flew, sliced, and hacked through the never-ending onslaught of demon flesh.

* * *

Jet gasped, the frozen tundra making it hard to breathe. Kazearashi looked at him coldly. 

"Get up," she said.

He stood, the muscles in his legs trembling. The Hiketsu felt like a thousand pounds hanging from his neck.

"I can barely stand, Kaze…"

"Do you think your enemies will wait until you are well rested?" she retorted.

He sat in the snow and put his head in his hands. As he did so, the Spirit Realm faded and he shook his head, barely able to stand and crawl into his sleeping bag.

* * *

The three had been having a rough time since leaving Tasha. Peris had gotten the word around faster than Azula had planned and they had to run. She had felt no guilt in leaving the camp in ashen ruins however finding the Avatar again would be difficult. 

They began raiding Fire Nation patrols and supply chains. Azula had all the information locked away in her head but she felt low being that this was all she could do.

Ty Lee slipped behind a tree, the girl nimble and thin enough to hide behind it. Azula motioned for Mai to move ahead and she appeared from her hiding place, taking out the two guards silently with two throwing stars.

Azula snapped forward, Ty Lee right behind her, and they took out the remainder of the guards. Mai started to signal for the refugees hidden in the trees when Azula raised a hand for silence. There was still an enemy in the area.

She sent an arc of lightning through the nearby trees and a young man dove out from his hiding place to dodge. He landed roughly in the dirt and sent her a glare.

Azula knew those eyes, she knew them very well, the eyes of the demon that had attacked her and Jet with his monstrous dragon and that had nearly killed her by pretending to be Zuko. She screamed ethereally and attacked him with repetitive bursts of lightning which he narrowly dodged. Before he could counter, she was upon him, pressing him to the ground with her foot on his throat. He swallowed and looked up at him.

"Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." She spat.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_

* * *

_

You've never truly loved someone until you've considered murdering them. –Seabiscuit

_

* * *

_

He reached up as the snow fell around them, turning the simple hillside into a frozen paradise.

"_Don't." she warned as his hand brushed the cloth of her hood. _

_However, he didn't hesitate to push the cloth away and she looked away, a thin line of tears forming at her sunken eyes. The yellow papyrus skin was pulled taut over her skull and what had once been beautiful hair hung in sallow strands. Her cheeks and eyes were sunken. She looked like something that should not be living. _

_Taking her skeletal face in his hands, she looked up at him and two twin tears fell from her eyes. Oh, her eyes, they shone like the windows to her very soul and what he saw there was as beautiful as her body was decayed. They gleamed like a cloudless noon sky and glowed like the first star in the twilight evening. _

_The light in those sapphire orbs changed as she realized the look on his face as not one of disgust but of wonder. Against the brilliant snow, his dark hair flew on the wind and flowed over her like silk. He radiated that constant aura of ethereal beauty, of something she should not touch lest she mar his perfection. _

_She gasped as against the cold wind came the warmth of his lips against hers. _

_It was raining. It poured onto the mountain making the normally smooth pathway a treacherous landslide. The clear moisture dripped like blood from his obsidian locks and amber eyes glanced back to the fire glow against the horizon. They were burning her home. _

_He shifted her to a more secure position and she clutched him as he ran on. _

_A section of shale fell away beneath him and he slid on the sheer cliffside for a moment before catching a limb and he pulled them back onto sturdy ground. _

_The shouts told him they were being followed._

_Blood dripped from her wounds and he tried to get his bangs to stay out of his way so he could fix them. _

"_Sae…" she caught his hand. "You have to finish the spell. It's almost done." _

_He pushed her hand away a little rougher than he intended. _

"_I don't care about the spell. I care about you." _

_She slapped him with all of her strength she could muster which wasn't much, it barely hurt but it shocked him more so. _

"_Ana…" _

"_If you choose me and let the world die, I will hate you forever. The spell is almost finished. All it needs now…" _

"_No!" _

"…_my blood." _

"_You cannot ask this of me!" _

"_It's the only way. I'd die someday anyway. Please." _

_He laid his head against her chest, crying the last tears he'd every cry, sobbing without shame. She patted his hair gently. He raised his hands and kissed her, his lips brushing against hers feather light and repeatedly as he hands traced her jaw line ever gentle and settled over her throat. _

_At first she didn't react as he continued kissing her, resolved to her fate. Then her body jerked, rebelling as it tried to save itself but it was no match for his iron grip. It gave one last spasm and lay still and he was kissing a corpse. _

_Later, her lifeblood poured into the vat, still warm, as the tears dried on his face, a cold mask settling over him. The potion began to swirl and changed from a deep orange to a faint opaque purple. As well, half of it boiled off leaving just enough for four bottles if he stretched it. Dropping her body, he went outside, knelt in the mud, and screamed. _

* * *

Shiroten stared up blankly at the Fire Princess he'd once tried to kill. He was almost surprised she'd recognized him. He listened to her words and relaxed beneath her.

"There isn't one."

Azula's brow furrowed in confusion and she frowned. Shiroten sighed.

"Does it bother you when your enemy does not object to being killed? Go ahead. The world wouldn't change."

"I've got a better idea." Azula replied. "You're going to explain things to me."

She pulled him up and shoved him back to the fighters with them and they quickly bound him and forced him to his knees.

"Salvage what you can." She said to the troops. "We move in an hour."

Two guards stayed with Shiroten who didn't look up from the mud between his knees.

Iroh dodged between the shadows, making it to the western tower without being seen. The tower had been closed off after a cave in of the nearby mountain, making the foundation unstable. It had been his favorite hiding place as a child.

Settling in one of the more stable rooms, he sat down and began to meditate, humming lightly under his breath. After Ozai had become sick, he'd been labeled a traitor to the Fire Nation and was hunted day and night. After Kanna took Ziri, he returned to the Fire Nation to try and determine what exactly was going on. There were two battling spiritual presences hovering over the capital and it was to these that he pushed his spirit, trying to understand them.

They were both incredibly immense, swirling about each other but never really touching, like oil and water. The dark one had been growing ever since he'd first sensed it but the other, kind of a light gray, remained the same size. However, it was so enormous he couldn't see the end of it. It seemed to expand over everything. There were strips of dark oil present in it now.

He reached out, trying to touch the darker presence. If he could figure out who that was, he could find out who Eimin's contact in the capital was and maybe be able to counter him. He pressed against the oily barrier carefully.

Zyperis stopped dead in the middle of the hallway he was passing down.

Iroh yelped as he was snatched out of the Spirit World, his body crushed into the wall. A masked man was holding him there with one arm.

"What in the hell did you think you were doing, Iroh?" the man hissed. "You could've ruined everything!"

Iroh stared in surprise. "Who are you? How did you know I was here?"

Behind the mask, Iroh could feel the man narrow his gaze before lowering him so that he could stand.

"I am the Speaker."

Iroh blinked, more startled that ever. "Has it gotten that large? That even the Powers That Be interfere? That they send their Child?"

The Speaker hesitated briefly before nodding. "If Kolyn gains control of this world, he will have control of every world."

Iroh nodded. "Life as we know it will cease to exist."

The Speaker raised his head. "Life itself will cease."

* * *

The powder burned like acid against his bare skin as they were all shoved through the line. Korosu struggled not to breathe as others coughed and ground against him. He did not draw a breath until water scrubbed the white secretion from his pores and they were handed their new uniforms. He patted the shoulder of the recruit next to him as they dressed. The recruit nodded to him, still coughing.

Dressed, they were shoved outside, their hair pulled roughly into topknots and any excess sheared off. Then they were passed along to the next stop. A few of the officers along the way tried attacked them with bamboo shafts. Korosu would have none of it though several let themselves be hit, too tired from the day's workout to care. However, Korosu grabbed the shaft thrust at him and jabbed it backwards hard enough to knock the wind from its owner. Then he was thrown back into line.

A voice crept over them as they were lashed into ranks, some barely able to stand after the brutal treatment. Korosu stared blankly forward, his eyes red from the powder and the beatings, his skin sore, but his anger fresh. The screams he heard were not of the new recruits around him.

_Returning to the camp after a day's training, he broke into a run at smoke rising above the trees. Black smoke. _

_Where the camp had been there was only charred remains of tents and bodies. The men had returned to find their women and children brutally massacred, several looking as though they'd been burned alive. The field was alive with screams of agony. What was worse were the ones that knelt in the ashes and made no sound, staring forward. _

"You will concentrate into the flame. Do not try to make it grow or lessen, just concentrate. Your potential will be judged and you will be separated into one of the three lines ahead. Any attempt to sway yourself in one of the three directions with result in severe punishment."

"_How can we prepare ourselves for such attacks? They have spies, scouts…"_

"Next."

"_I'll go."_

Korosu watched as each recruit to the Fire Nation army went before the flame of Kimeru, a flame from the original source of fire-bending, the dragons, kept burning. Somehow beyond their understanding, the flame could judge the potential of fire-benders before it and remained the impartial judge of which branch the recruits would be placed in.

He was jerked out of line and shoved before the flame. So far he'd seen three signs: a cross, a diamond, and a 'Y'. But there was a fourth section, a fourth sign he had to get. He had to surpass them all and get into the Fire Lord's Elite. It was the only way to get the information necessary. He knew he had to get into it and this flame was in his way.

He stepped forward. _Please see in me what I am. Help me._

The flame observed him quietly for a moment before spreading itself into two long arms. One of the men sitting behind the flame started to write something down but the other man caught his arm. For the flame wasn't through. Instead of extending the arms of the 'Y' out to the side, they circled each other, falling forward over the bowl. The flame seemed to be _bowing _to him.

Then it exploded, rising into a pillar higher than the very pagoda.

* * *

Shiroten made no sound as the snow began falling heavier, staining the ground a brilliant white. Azula paced the ground in front of him, trying to figure out what to do.

"You work for Eimin."

Shiroten shook his head minutely which made Azula stop. When half the tree he was leaning against vanished under her lightning, he didn't blink.

"I know you work for him!"

"Worked…past tense."

Azula accepted this. Ty Lee stood nearby, her hands folded in front of her. Mai stood nearby.

"You seemed pretty cozy with Peris at Taiyoo." The moody girl mused.

Azula noted Shiroten's reaction to this statement, his lids drooped and a weight seemed to settle on his shoulders, his gaze drifting from her to the snow beside her boots. Somehow, she recognized that look. Death would be the kindest thing to the jilted angel before her. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking.

Turning, she knelt in front of Shiroten and gently turned his head to meet her gaze. Those emerald eyes didn't suit him. They looked better silver-rimmed.

"What do you know about Peris?"

The jade orbs grew sad. "More than you could comprehend in a night."

* * *

Shasa glanced up from where she knelt. There was rarely anything to do anymore. Makani had been taken away for some purpose or another and it seemed that Nen had escaped Eimin's grasp, thank Alem.

The sight that greeted her sparked her hopes for the barest of moments before she leveled a death glare at the demonic god before her. Who happened to look just like her fiery husband.

"You like?" Eimin asked, taunting before turning a full circle, showing off his guise as Agni dressed head to toe in Fire Nation armor. But Agni didn't have that evil glint in his eye.

Shasa glared. "I thoroughly hate your shape-shifting capabilities."

Eimin grinned. "Well, your dear mate is the spirit of the Fire Nation, which I am manipulating wonderfully."

"You mean Zyperis is. I haven't seen you lift a finger."

But the smile the death god possessed didn't waver.

"Why should I interfere when he's doing such a good job? Besides, I have my own duties to tend to. Yet, it will be increasingly difficult to be both Min and Agni. Wouldn't it be nice if Agni himself decided to help me out?"

Shasa was on her feet in an instant, the bulge of her dress betraying the progress of her pregnancy.

"You touch him, teme, and I swear…"

A malicious glint appeared in his eye, both familiar and foreign to her.

"Don't worry, Shasa, I won't touch him. I promise you that."


	11. Chapter 11

Finally the action starts heating up again and a few questions are answered. Very few.

Chapter 11

Iroh found himself walking through the Spirit World with the Speaker as the young man explained things to him. The young man had long since removed his mask and Iroh could see the exhaustion spreading through him. He actually found himself placing an arm around the Speaker as they sat down on a large crumbling boulder that had once been a majestic statue. Of what, Iroh couldn't tell. Still it was strange sitting there with the strongest living thing in their world, the aforementioned sitting with his head in his hands, all defenses dropped. He remembered vaguely how his books had described the Child of Those Forgotten as the 'ultimate half-breed, all the power of a god with all the emotions of a human.'

"So explain this to me again."

The Speaker laughed very lightly. Iroh just had that affect on people and apparently the all-powerful man before him was no different.

"Ziri cannot die of unnatural causes. You could cut his head off and he wouldn't die. He'd probably be in some serious pain and need therapy but he wouldn't die."

"And this is because…?"

"If he came into contact with the Light in his previous human state, it would kill him."

"So you killed him…to keep him from dying?"

The Speaker smiled wryly. "Now you understand."

Iroh shook his head lightly. "How do you manage to think like this?"

"Many many…many…years of practice."

At first Iroh began to laugh and then he realized just what the Speaker had been trying to say and he recognized the weight the falsely young shoulders bore. After a few silent moments, the Speaker stood and dusted off his clothes, the mask hanging loosely from his hand.

"Iroh, I need you to do something for me. I need you to rejoin the Fire Nation army and take leadership of the Elite squadron."

Iroh frowned as he stood. "I have a bounty on my head. How am I supposed to do that?"

The Speaker ignored him, his eyes scanning the trees above them.

"Nuri?" he called.

There was a rustle in the leaves and down dropped a young man, maybe early twenties, dressed in simple brown and green leather armor. He had a broad smile that took up most of his face, black hair, one amber eye and one sapphire blue.

"Yes?"

The Speaker smiled at the first son of Agni and Shasa, the very first Fire Lord.

"I trust you've enjoyed your vacation?"

Nuri shrugged. "Not really. It's been very boring these last few centuries. Seriously, I've already mastered Fire and Water and now I'm working on Earth."

Iroh gave the young man an odd look. It was hard enough to believe that the man he'd believed to be his ancestor, really his uncle, was standing next to him let alone could bend three elements.

"Fire and Water?"

Nuri laughed, flashing his nephew a brilliant smile. "Anyone can learn to bend all four elements. Most just don't live long enough."

The Speaker smiled as well. "And Nuri is the self-proclaimed god of hot water."

Nuri gave the Speaker a little salute before placing his arm around Iroh.

"So, what do you need?"

"You can assist Iroh."

Nuri nodded, still smiling. Iroh shook his head.

"I still don't understand how I am going to lead the Elite. I get within 500 feet of the recruiting grounds…" He paused as he noticed his voice was changing.

Nuri's grin took up most of his face.

"Have you ever heard of the Fountain of Youth, Iroh?"

Iroh nodded and the Speaker smiled. "It's more of a swamp really."

It was then that Iroh looked around him. They were standing in the middle of a swamp, a very beautiful swamp, but a swamp none the less.

Then he looked down at his new sixteen-year old body.

"You mean I've got to go through puberty again!?" came the teenage voice squeaking out of his throat and both Nuri and the Speaker erupted into laughter.

* * *

Korosu stared, the only one still standing in the plaza. All the judges and the other recruits had fallen to their knees or lay prone on the dirt. The flames rose far above the plaza, twisting and roiling about each other until the formed the rough shape of a dragon. For the first time since the flames had erupted did Korosu seemed worried, his eyes widening ever so slightly as the dragon descended on him, striking through him.

Then the plaza was quiet and Korosu lay prone on the stage as the judges got shakily to their feet. From the shadows a young woman dressed in black Fire Nation armor came forward and took Korosu, throwing him over her shoulder, and disappeared into the palace. Then the recruit placement continued without a ripple. Any whispers among the recruits were quickly silenced with vicious blows.

Korosu woke a few hours later with the left side of his forehead pounding and his hand came away wet with blood for the second time in a couple months. There was a woman next to him dressed in a black version of what the Fire Nation army wore beneath their armor. A black piece of metal covered most of her forehead and came down behind her ears and also to a point in the middle of her forehead.

She took a clean cloth to the wound on his forehead.

"Relax, Son of Agni. You're safe here."

Korosu jumped and turned to face a man wearing a mask. Other than that, he wore the same outfit the woman did.

"Is that what this mark means?"

The man nodded. "It marks you as one of the Four. It means 'fire' in the Old Language."

The woman pulled his head around and continued cleaning up the blood.

"Because of what happened today, you will be placed with the Fire Nation Elite, under my command. Which I think was what you wanted."

"But you…"

The woman smiled and removed the metal plate from her forehead, revealing a small amber crystal there.

"I'm the Ki-Lin, Amabiku. I've been the commander of the Elite for about 20 years now, long enough to gain the Fire Lord's intimate trust."

She replaced the metal plate and Korosu relaxed against the bed. There was only one other person in the room besides the masked man. Amabiku followed his gaze and nodded.

"That is Niobi, the only other recruit to meet our standards. Rest, Korosu. You will need it."

She headed out of the ward and the masked man nodded to him before leaving. For a moment, Korosu wondered whether he was player in this enormous game or just a pawn. Then he blacked out once again.

* * *

"Faster! Get the rocks out of your pants!"

Jet skidded to a stop once again, the _jabari_ he'd managed to create from the Shou's light glimmering in his right hand. He could now maintain it for three hours but still had yet to strike Kazearashi.

He had changed in the few months Kazearashi had been training him. She made him wear a formal white _gi_ signifying that he was the trainee but he didn't see why what he wore had anything to do with her beating him senseless.

As she settled back to the earth, Kazearashi frowned. "Must I repeatedly remind you that you are an Air Elemental?"

"Half-air, half-earth," Jet spat back.

Kazearashi leveled a glared at him. "Why do you think you've always lived in trees, halfway between earth and heaven? Again!"

Jet flung himself forward and Kazearashi pushed off with one foot, simply gliding across the ground towards him. The _jabari _crossed in front of him, its edges crackling as he struggled to maintain its form.

"_Like wind…like wind…" _He no longer envied Aang, having to fight the elemental controversies in his very soul. Just as hard as it was for Aang to face down a rolling boulder, he had trouble forcing himself to flow instead of slamming himself into the heat of the battle.

Wind didn't just crash into something, it shifted, and flowed around it. At the last possible moment, Jet shifted, turning onto his back and gliding past Kazearashi to land behind her.

The _jabari _flickered and died as Kazearashi went to pick up her now missing arm and reattach it. After all, she was just a spirit. But she smiled at him for the first time in a long time.

"That's better."

A crash resounded through the air and Jet stood up straight, the Spirit World fading behind him as he watched an unnatural cloud climb above the horizon. Despite his exhaustion, he took off towards it, the amulet bouncing on his chest as he ran. When he reached the source, he was surprised to see a large piece of the ice shelf breaking off and falling into the sea.

"We were this close to the Northern Water Tribe?" _And you didn't tell me. Why did my Heiki spirit have to be such a..._

Jet frowned as he noticed a group of Water Tribe warriors were desperately trying to hold back a tidal wave of water long enough for the group of villagers to get out of the way. Holding back an icy river was no easy task. It crashed and roared like a living thing until it broke past their grip.

He didn't know where he found the speed but Jet got between the warriors and the water, holding it back with a solid band of light and wind from the Shou. As it crackled in the air, Jet stood with his back to the waves as the men looked on in fear. A single drop of blood from a cut he didn't know he had dripped over his eye onto his cheek.

"Move now!"

He glared up at the river raging above him then pushed off. The river roared forward by Jet was already a couple dozen feet above it. A whirlwind formed at his left hand as it stretched across his chest as if reaching behind his right shoulder. The Shou gleamed and crackled. The clouds above them parted and the stream of air pummeled into the river. For a moment it flowed over the edges of the valley then Jet floated down to land on a frozen landscape, tundra the way it was supposed to be.

The river beneath him was frozen solid.

He wiped a hand over his forehead then hissed at the minute pain. Staring down, a few drops of blood decorated his head. A woman came over and bowed before him and he turned his head to see them all bowing.

"Thank you, Son of Samir." The woman said.

He shook his head. "My name is Jet."

She rose, pressing a cloth wet with melted snow to the cuts on his forehead. As she watched, the cuts sealed over and she finished wiping away the blood.

"Would you join us in the city, Jet-sama?"

"Can I have a hot bath?"

The woman blinked. "Yes, of course."

"Then yes, I'll join you."

* * *

The camp was roused into awareness as the sounds of a large battle coming from the east. Azula found Shiroten and dragged him to the forefront as her warriors prepared for battle.

"Tell me what that is, teme."

Shiroten stared blankly forward until his gaze fastened on the dark cloud rising above the horizon. Then his eyes widened nearly beyond their capability.

"Azula, that is an Abyss. We need to move. Now."

"Abyss?"

He ran as fast as he could, the new snow tearing at his bare feet and he left tracks of blood behind him. He no longer felt any shame at being mother naked but let the white cloak Kanna had given him flow out behind him to gain more speed.

Ziri burst through a stand of trees and fell down the side of a small rise to land at the feet of a dark-haired woman and a man who appeared to be her captive. He struggled to his knees, gasping for breath until the woman's startled voice reached him.

Azula stared at the man before her. Naked and wrapped in a white cloak, she didn't know how it could be but it was.

"Zuko?"

Ziri stared at her in despair. "Not again."

* * *

Katara sat in the corner of the nearly freezing cell. Perhaps it had been made to keep fire-benders from bending but it was just as effective on water-benders. She would have to work twice as hard just to keep the water in a liquid state…if she had any to begin with. Raising a hand, she let her hair loose to help keep her warm and to hide the mark on her forehead.

The door to the cell opened and Katara was instantly on her feet. A man in Fire Nation armor walked in. She couldn't see his face due to the shadows caused by the flickering torches in the hallway. Then the cell was dark again. She could hear him moving around and then a lantern above them sputtered into life, swinging eerily. But it gave her enough light to recognize her captor.

"Peris," she spat. First he'd attacked Zuko then Azula. What was the point of attacking her? What was his plan?

"You may address me as Fire Lord, Daughter of Nen. I suppose I should pay you back for that incident in Tasha but I have better plans, more necessary plans, for you now. Of course, now that the Spirit of the Four as well as the Daughter of Kaia is dead, there is no hope for your world's survival. Yet, I can make Lord Kolyn's victory that much more sweet."

Hypnotized by his words, she didn't noticed how close he was getting until the light was gleaming from his predatory eyes and the blade flickered.

Katara screamed.

* * *

Please Review. Even if it's short.


	12. Chapter 12

Guess I've lost most of my readers. (is sad)

* * *

Chapter 12

The morning gave way to a beautiful dawn that was even more spectacular where they flew over the clouds. Glancing down, Skandranon's black wingspan was easy to find against the white down.

"Any idea where he's taking us?"

Aang shook his head at Toph's question.

"He has us above the clouds. He says it interferes with Eimin's ability to see us and Abyss can't come up into this pure light. It also makes it easy for him to take us where he wants to and we can't do anything about it."

Toph crawled across the saddle and sat next to him.

"Well, he said he was with Haku."

"How can we trust Haku? I hate to say this when I tried so hard to get guidance but these Spirit guys are really getting annoying. I have no idea what's going on and none of them will tell me anything. Sokka was dead the last time I saw him and now Katara's missing. Are they going to pick us off one by one?"

Aang looked down again and yelped. "Hey, where'd he go?"

A black feather fell on his shoulder and Skandranon glided down into the saddle, his feather providing a dramatic curtain until he was perched on Appa's back. Appa let out a low moan and Skandranon frowned.

"You have no need to distrust me though it is natural. I am taking you to the Hibari and to the temple of Light."

Toph blinked. "What are we going to do there? And what do I have to do with it?"

"Aang must train. During which, he will be incapacitated. You and I will guard him."

"Why can't you do it? You're the all mighty Elder."

Skandranon ran a hand through his hair and plucked out a feather, staring at it distastefully.

"I am unfamiliar with this world and its enemies. You point out the enemies and I defeat them."

Toph grinned. "How about I point out the enemies _and_ defeat them?"

Aang laughed a bit. "We're pretty self-sufficient, Skandranon, sir."

Toph nodded but Skandranon's gaze didn't waver.

"Maintain your confidence. You'll need it. But I know what hunts you."

Aang turned, dropping the reins and let Appa fly himself for a while as he joined them in the saddle.

"The Fire Nation?" Toph suggested.

"No, Abyss." Aang finished for Skandranon. "Haku implied there weren't that many."

"Not here," Skandranon supplied. "Haku has not been to Origin in many centuries. There, they are the dominant species."

Toph sighed. "Ya'll really act like this is big deal. I mean, I know it would suck if the world died and everything but all of you seem more worried than if it was just about one world. Why should we matter to you? Why don't you just move the elements to a different world like you did last time?"

Skandranon fell silent and turned his back to them. Aang stood and set his staff firmly before him, between him and the gryphon.

"You're going to have to tell us sooner or later."

Skandranon turned and met his angry stare. "Aang, no matter how special you are, how many elements you can bend, and how many worlds you can cross into freely, you are still human. I have experience with telling humans things they don't need to know. None of them were good."

* * *

The ring of hammer against anvil echoed through the caves, the fiery stone slowly flowing around its inhabitants. In the heat of the volcano, the Speaker stood, without mask and without shirt, sweat flowing from his form as the blade formed beneath his hands. He moved from the anvil and bended a small stream of the flowing lava over and around the blade then back to the heated center of the mountain as the blade glowed red once again.

Haku stood a few feet away, watching the Child as he moved fluidly from fire to anvil to water to fire, the pile of Runeblades beginning to grow. The Speaker's long black hair fell in a braid down his back and despite the sheen covering his torso and billowing magma around them, the aura of the room was cold as the silence grew between them.

The obsidian Ki-Lin moved across the room to stand between the fire and the anvil, taking a place in front of the Speaker but with the anvil between them. The Speaker paused with the hammer in the air, raised for its next strike.

Amber orbs met sapphire blue.

"What is it, Haku?" he said, his voice tight with frustration.

The Ki-Lin watched him for a moment, strangely relaxed but when he spoke, one could see the calm pose was a tightly woven façade.

"I want my son to live."

"You're asking the wrong person." the Speaker snapped.

"Am I?" Haku replied. "Am I S-"

"Enough." The Speaker cut him off and stood up straight, the hammer falling to rest on his shoulders.

"You have no right to be asking favors, teme."

Haku placed his hands on either side of the anvil, leaning slightly forward.

"Don't I? You can't…"

The hammer fell between his hands and Haku was acutely aware of how close it had come to hitting him, knowing that the Speaker could not have missed. He was being warned.

"Don't think you are irreplaceable, Haku. I can get your blood on that blade with or without your consent. You have lived a cheerful life, full of hope and family. It's time for you to learn the harder side of life. Now move."

Haku glared back at him for a moment but slid back, resuming his place beside the water and the Speaker through the newly made Runeblade onto the growing pile.

"If you want to be helpful, you can go kill a few demons so we can make sheaths."

Haku nodded and was gone.

* * *

Katara stared forward in surprise as blood flowed from her forehead to drip over her eye and onto her cheek. The blade had been tiny, leaving barely a scratch but she trembled from fear, still caught in his grasp.

For every step forward he took, she took one step back until she was against the wall.

"Kioko…"

"…is dead." Peris finished. "The Spell of Light cannot be completed. You have failed."

"You're…lying." She gasped out.

Peris chuckled lightly, his hand resting parallel to her face against the wall. She trembled at the fact that he was so close to her. He wasn't going to…was he?

"I don't lie, Katara. I don't always tell you everything but I don't lie."

Hearing her name brought he back to her senses and she flung herself forward, pinning him against the opposite wall.

"Look, you…"

She stopped as he smiled. "Attacking the Fire Lord is an execution-worthy offense but I'll overlook it this time. By the way, I'd be nice if I were you. Right now, Zuko's life is lying in the palm of my hand. He just joined the Fire Lord's Elite Squadron, undercover."

Katara backed away, her hand rising to her throat where she now wore the red betrothal necklace she'd found in Zuko's pack underneath her mother's necklace.

"Zuko…"

Peris dusted off his clothes and smirked.

"That's right, Katara. If you don't do behave yourself, I'll kill Zuko."

Trembling, she stared at the floor beneath his feet before falling to her knees.

"Whatever you ask. Just please…"

"I understand."

She heard the cell door open and close. It took all of her power not to scream. Zuko was alive and in more danger than ever before. What could have possessed him to come to the capital? Wouldn't he be recognized instantly?

Then she remembered in her dream, he hadn't had his scar. And true enough, a few of the scars she bore from mishaps in her life were gone.

"Shasa, Alem, please protect my Zuko." She prayed.

* * *

Sokka felt nervous riding the Shirshu and Jun didn't blame him considering the last time he'd been on its back. While Shirshu sniffed out the trail of the 'moving nation,' Jun found Rou sitting several dozen feet away from the main camp. She sat down beside him and he laid his head on her shoulder. In that moment, it didn't feel like he was an omniscient being trapped in a teenager's body, instead, he was just a teenager.

"I'm afraid, Jun." he said softly and she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm sure…"

"No, Jun. I'm not afraid of fighting. I'm afraid of messing things up. Just because I'm all-knowing doesn't mean I know everything."

He sighed and leaned forward. "That didn't make any sense, did it?"

He began to run his hand through his hair but paused halfway through.

"I barely remember fighting Eimin the first time. What if I do it wrong this time?"

Jun wrapped her arms around him again and held him tightly.

"Don't worry, Rou. Everything will turn out all right."

Rou nodded and stood, turning to Sokka and walking back to Shirshu.

"Come on, Sokka! We need to go or we'll lose them."

Sokka frowned and pointed at Shirshu. "I'm not getting on that thing. End of discussion."

Rou shrugged, holding his hands out to each side pleadingly.

"Ah…well, I guess you have your free will. Yes, that's it. You can get on willingly. Or…"

Shirshu flicked his tongue warningly and Sokka paled then climbed into the saddle.

"You're the god of Life. Aren't you supposed to be nice?"

Rou grinned. "Ah, 'supposed' to and what really is often don't coincide. I'm supposed to be omniscient but I really don't know what's going on. ONWARD SHIRSHU!"

Jun yelped as she was hardly in the saddle when Shirshu took off, running through the woods while Rou laughed hysterically.

* * *

Azula and Ziri stared at each other, Azula with wonder, Ziri with despair. Just then, a black Ki-Lin hit a tree behind them and slid to the ground.

"Kanna!" Ziri cried and ran to her side, helping her home. Her black pelt was soaked with sweat and her legs trembled.

"_I underestimated this Abyss." _She gasped, frowning.

Just then, the Abyss itself appeared over the hill's edge and Azula gasped. It had no form, only a black foreboding mass with two red dots in its center. It was massive, as large as the hill itself and it kept coming.

An arm of itself reached forward. It was hard to describe. One side of the large mass simply extended and came rushing forward, centered on Kanna and Ziri. They stood together, watching it come.

Kanna gritted her teeth as her mind worked furiously. Then she gasped as the arm simply disintegrated and the Abyss let out a howl.

Azula stood before the two, her lightning still echoing around her outstretched hand.

"Thought so. Abyss are hurt by fire and light."

Kanna straightened and nodded. _"Here, get on my back, princess. Ziri, stay here." _

Ziri nodded. "Got it."

Azula climbed on the Ki-lin's back and she leapt into the air, running on what seemed to be nothing. The former princess didn't pay attention to that though. She'd studied the Great Races for years and nothing could surprise her.

Ty Lee flung herself from the woods but Shiroten stopped her.

"Stay back! An Abyss isn't something you can fight physically!"

Ty Lee nodded and whistled. The few fire-benders they had joined her quickly and began preparing a group fire attack. Mai was there in an instant as well, placing a hand on Shiroten's shoulder.

"Don't go anywhere."

"As if I would…" Shiroten snapped back.

The Abyss struck out at her but Kanna avoided it with a speed that threw Azula off balance and left her clinging to the mare's neck. Kanna stepped off again and rose above the Abyss while it regrouped.

"_Now!" _

Azula leveled a pretty strong lightning blast, strong even for her, directly into the Abyss below at the same time the fire-benders sent a rather large fire blast into the shadow. The Abyss roared with pain and nearly every human fell to their knees, covering their ears with their hands as the higher pitch of the Abyss' voice echoed over the plain. The exception was Shiroten, whose hands were tied.

The Abyss roared and then it extended and cut up, separating Azula and Kanna. They hit opposite sides of the field with the Abyss between them. The group by the woods seemed to stare up in surprise, all save Shiroten, when the massive black form began to laugh.

"_**That was good, Kanna-san, but not good enough. Now it's my turn." **_

The shadow began roiling beneath its surface grotesquely before sending spires of its body straight up into the air. The clouds began to darken and thunder echoed over the valley.

"What's happening?" Ty Lee cried.

"He's cutting off the sunlight. The darker it gets, the stronger he becomes!" Shiroten called.

Then he stopped, staring forward blankly. That's what he had done in his own battle with the Fire Princess. He struggled to remember the process for a human to become an Abyss. It had something to do with their soul, with…

His eyes widened in horror.

"For a human to become an Abyss they must be either consumed by an existing Abyss or have the light of their soul removed during the Ceremony of Revival. That bastard…"

Eimin had been making him into an Abyss.

Mai turned her head to him but he tore out of her grasp and started running across the field as the spires descended directly towards Azula and Kanna while at the same time the Abyss spread itself over the valley floor, trapping them in place. If it absorbed them…

He twisted his head, hearing Mai fire a knife in his direction and twisted, letting it cut through the bindings on his wrists. And he kept running.

Ziri broke through the line running as hard as for Kanna. He tried to fire-bend but nothing came from his fists and he settled for placing himself between the attack and Kanna even as she screamed for him to get out of the way.

Human blood splattered over the field.


	13. Chapter 13

Summary to Point:

_At the end of Prophesied, Zuko was taken into the care of Jeong-Jeong but was unable to remember who he was. He gives the name Korosu because it is the one Kagehi knows him as. _

_Kioko dies._

_Ziri is rescued by Kanna, hustled out of the Fire Nation by Iroh, then transfers again into the care of Kanna. Iroh returns to the Fire Nation as a spy._

_In TM, Zuko meets Jin and the Spirit within the Qiäng, Hiraishin. Off-screen, he begins training alone with Hiraishin to better control the Qiäng._

_Haru has a dream about Kioko's death and wakes wearing the Shoú beads. He leaves the former Freedom Fighters, going on alone into a storm to find help. He collapses and that's where Zuko/Korosu finds him. _

_Zuko/Korosu has been living with Jeong-Jeong and Hakoda with their army that is slowly moving against the Fire Nation capital. Haru joins them and Zuko, along with Hiraishin and Terumi, tells him that he is the son of Kaia and Mamoru and has to take Kioko's place in the Four. At first he refuses but then agrees after some violent negotiating from Zuko. _

_Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph head out from Tasha in search of Shian and Zuko. Along the way, they meet Tome and the Temple of Origin and learn some interesting things about Eimin, the Elders, and what is going on. _

_Sokka dies._

_Haku appears shortly after Sokka dies and explains a few more things including telling them about the elusive Speaker. In other scenes, the Ki-Lin Chiemi is introduced as his niece. The other Elders are also introduced: the Dragon, Antaram and the Gryphon, Skandranon._

_Katara is taken with Haku to meet the Speaker. She is subsequently captured by the Fire Nation._

_The Speaker awakens Rou's lost memories revealing him as the god Alem. However he is still trapped in his human form. The Speaker continues doing rather confusing things that only he and perhaps Haku understand. _

_Zyperis is up to his usual tricks including taking over the Fire Nation, making Ozai sick, and generally being evil but we are introduced to the greatest evil living, an elder Abyss named Kolyn who inhabits Eimin's body. Even Zyperis seems to be a bit cautious around him. _

_Shiroten's village is attacked by the Fire Nation and his birth parents are killed. He miraculously regains the ability to shadow-bend but starts using it less and less often as he gets more and more depressed. Eventually he is captured by Azula. _

_Since narrowly escaping death at the hands of Peris, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee have been raiding Fire Nation supply lines. During one particular raid, Azula stumbled upon Shiroten and took him captive. _

_Sokka is revived through Rou/Alem who also mistakenly revives Yue and heals the Moon Spirit. _

_Aang and Toph, now joined by Skandranon, make their way east to the Temple of the Four. _

_Zuko/Korosu travels to the Fire Nation and joins the Elite as a spy, reason yet unknown._

_Strange weather has been crossing the world. Haku blames Eimin. It is snowing in the Fire Nation and most of the western Earth Kingdom is in a drought while the East is flooded. There are no crops coming out the Earth Kingdom and it looks like the beginning of a famine. The Northern Water Tribe is melting while the Southern Water Tribe is being pelted with blizzards. _

_Jet has been training with his Heiki Spirit, Kazearashi, learning to tap the Hiketsu's power which is a raw fusion of Light and Air. He is now in the Northern Water Tribe._

* * *

Chapter 13

_Two weeks prior…_

_Korosu smiled for the first time since his awakening as Haru splashed some of the cold river water behind his neck. Haru caught his gaze and grinned back. _

"_Does Hiraishin work you as hard as Terumi does me?" _

_Korosu nodded empathetically. "You'll get better. It's only your third day." _

_Haru sat back as he agreed. "I never knew you could earth-bend that way. It's so different from the way my father taught me." _

"_Hiraishin told me that in Origin the elements weren't separated as they are now. All the benders were taught together, the same movements, the same forms. Only here in Aye did they separate and form their own styles."_

_Haru nodded, grinning. The sun was bright and beautiful, reflecting off the river. _

"_On days like today, it's hard to remember there's a war." _

* * *

Korosu slowly opened his eyes. After weeks of waking up at dawn, it was a simple thing now. The whistle to wake the new recruits had not even sounded yet. He turned and the man behind him jumped.

"Hey, you're…Korosu, right?"

Korosu nodded and turned back to the window, pulling the thick curtains back. The sun had not yet risen. The man behind him wrinkled his nose.

"What's that smell?"

Korosu smiled softly. "Early morning, it smells new, doesn't it?"

_

* * *

_

There was fire in the sky and in the earth and over the water. It was everywhere he looked and death was everywhere he could feel. It was choking him. But there was no fire. There was only ash.

_Half-burned bodies stared at him beneath the wall. He heard soldiers talking. They had come while the troops were training, Fire Nation, hundreds of them. All the women and children…they were dead. _

_The river ran red with their blood. Haru stared in horror at the congealed crimson lying inches thick over the field. _

_Korosu fell to his knees beside a body, cradling the thin woman to his chest. She had been the only one who had cared about him even before she knew. _

"_Jin," he said softly, smoothing back her hair from her glazed eyes. At least half of her chest was missing._

* * *

Niobi and Korosu headed down to the training field where Niobi nearly fainted when he saw the Fire Lord Peris training with Amabiku. Korosu didn't even blink. Maybe it was because he owed this man no allegiance.

Peris smiled as he saw them allowing Amabiku to snip his shoulder with the bamboo rod she wielded. Peris just winced and turned his smile to her, which she returned. As Amabiku moved away to correct the form of another Elite, Peris moved toward them, causing Niobi to unconsciously move behind Korosu. The Fire Lord just laughed and placed a hand on Korosu's shoulder.

It took a great deal of self-control not to even twitch, so close to the man that had murdered Jin and so many other innocents.

"I like the new recruits, Amabiku. You did good."

Amabiku smiled. "Once again, the Flames picked them, not me."

Peris took Korosu's arm and led hid forward. "Come, let's see what you can do."

The Fire Lord tossed his training sword to another black-clad warrior who was stripped to the waist and clothed in a thin sheet of sweat. Korosu had purposely left the Qiäng behind in his room. No use screaming to them all who he was. He followed the Fire Lord to a side field where they were the only ones practicing.

Peris moved to the opposite side of the field, still smiling.

"I know we're just training but don't hold back, Korosu. I need to know how good you are so I can plan accordingly."

Korosu frowned. "Wasn't Prince Zuko killed for trying to assassinate the Fire Lord?"

"We're just training." Peris replied, shrugging.

"How can I not hold back if I'm not actually trying to kill you?"

Peris shrugged again but fell into a bending stance.

"Come on, Korosu, give me your best shot."

Korosu closed his eyes for the briefest moment before falling forward into a front stance and bringing both arms in a sweep from back to front. The flames appeared from nowhere, much larger than the usual first flames of a bender, and the temperature for several hundred feet went up a few degrees. Peris lifted both hands in unison and the flames dissipated.

There were several more exchanges of enormous bursts of flame before they drew closer to one another. Then their battle became interspersed with short strikes of concentrated blue and white fire but it ended with Peris sweeping Korosu's feet from beneath him and aiming a fist at his head.

The world was still for a moment before Peris relaxed and the fist became an open hand, offering him a lift up. Korosu took it and stood.

"Incredible," the Fire Lord said softly. "But I told you not to hold back."

Korosu blinked in surprise. "How…"

"…Did I know?" Peris smiled and placed an arm around his shoulders. "I've trained too many men not to know when one is holding back."

* * *

Azula stared up as her prisoner leapt in front of her but he too was staring at someone else, another one who had stepped in front of him. Azula glanced across the field and nearly screamed as she saw Zuko had been impaled by the Abyss.

But the Abyss was also screaming, louder and much more potently than before.

The woman that stood in front of Shiroten held her arm forward almost lazily and from her palm emitted a light so pure, so strong, that the Abyss couldn't counter it. All it could do was scream and try to block the light out.

It was several minutes before the screaming began to die down and then stopped completely. The light faded a few minutes later. The Abyss was nowhere to be seen.

Kanna was trying not to scream as she held the badly injured Ziri in her arms. He was gasping for breath with lungs that were only half there.

Then slowly, strangely, the gaping hole in his torso began reknitting itself.

When it was completely gone, Ziri ran a hand over his unblemished stomach, his eyes wide with shock. Even Kanna seemed surprise. In fact, the only one who wasn't was the woman who'd killed the Abyss.

Shiroten helped Azula to stand and they, along with the woman, made their way across the field to Ziri who was now standing with the help of Kanna.

"What…how?" Ziri managed to gasp out to no one in particular.

"You've already died once. You cannot die of unnatural causes, not again."

Ziri stared at the woman in surprise. She'd killed the Abyss when not even Kanna could. Who was she?

The woman was tall and imposing but at the same time, motherly and warm. Long blonde hair fell to her waist in thick waves and contrasted perfectly with the dark azure sleeveless dress she wore. Dark gold rings went around her upper arms and from them trailed a gauzy fabric that matched the dress.

Her eyes were the most impossible shade of blue and a blue diamond was fastened in her forehead, the mark of a Ki-Lin.

Then she smiled and Kanna nodded to her, smiling in relief.

"I'm glad it's you, Lady Ana."

Ziri managed to take his own weight shakily, feeling his strength pour back into him as if it had never left. Kanna looked around at everyone.

"Everyone, this is Ana. She is a Light Ki-Lin and a close friend of mine."

Azula sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.

"This gets more supernatural by the day."

By that afternoon, Azula's raiders had been joined by Antaram, who was to relieve Kanna of her dutiful watch over Ziri, an act neither Ziri nor Kanna liked very much. Antaram, however, remained firm.

It was early evening when Ziri, Shiroten, and Azula were all woken by Kanna. They all trekked out at least 100 yards from the rest of the camp and were met by Antaram. The dragoness watched them eerily.

"Haku and the Speaker are supposed to meet us here. They have some information for us."

* * *

Several miles away, the Speaker and Haku were having a short meeting of their own.

"I've set everything up for you to take care of so…"

Haku nodded calmly as the Speaker paused and turned away. The silence grew between them for a while and after a moment, Haku stood from where he'd been sitting against a nearby tree. The Ki-Lin sighed as he did so and the Speaker turned back to him, frowning.

"What is wrong with you?" he snapped.

Haku frowned at him.

They'd spent centuries hating each other if not millenniums. Only lately had the tension between the two reached a breaking point, now that both souls were too busy and too stressed to keep up the façade that they got along impeccably.

"Am I not allowed to mourn?"

"No." came the quick reply.

The Speaker crossed his arms over his chest and Haku glowered at him.

"You had centuries with Keilantra. You had a son. Stop acting like a hurt teenage girl who just found out her crush doesn't like her. Stop mourning and remember all the good times you had with her."

The Ki-Lin leaned forward slightly, poking a finger into the Speaker's chest.

"I thought you wanted me to suffer."

The Speaker glowered. "I do but you seem incapable of doing so."

"So you killed Keilantra and Tasuki to test my ability to suffer?"

"I did not purposely kill them."

"You're lying and you know it. Hell, you're good at it."

The Speaker frowned. "Haku, we need…"

"Don't tell me what we need. I'm as old as you are, I know."

Haku was now pacing in front of the Speaker, who watched him coldly.

"Even if you did it subconsciously, you still killed them to hurt me."

"I wouldn't stoop that low."

"You did it to make me suffer."

"I will repeat." The first edge of true malice began to show through the Speaker's voice. "You do not know how to suffer. You are a Ki-Lin. You are arrogant. You are proud. You do not suffer."

"I am suffering."

"No, you are pouting." The Speaker snapped. "You are declaring to the world that you have reason to suffer. To suffer is to bear, to endure but you are standing before all life and begging for pity because your mate and son died. That is not suffering."

* * *

Korosu blinked as the Fire Lord suddenly frowned.

"Are you all right, Fire Lord?"

Peris touched his shoulder lightly. "I just remembered something important. I'll see you later, Korosu."

Korosu nodded and watched him as he left, filing back into the main palace.

"What is that?"

Niobi was standing at the far end of the training field but below them, those in the marketplace were turning to stare as well. The Elite moved to stand beside Niobi and Korosu followed his peers' gaze to a growing dark spot on the horizon. As it grew, it began to overshadow the setting sun.

* * *

Antaram and Kanna watched the dark spot begin to grow perhaps one hundred yards from where they were.

Kanna bit her lip. "That doesn't look good. Where are Haku and the Speaker?"

Antaram pointed towards the growing shadow.

"And you suffer because you hold it all in?!"

The two voices were growing in pitch and ferocity.

"No, I suffer because I go on instead of asking to be pitied and pampered!"

"So you admit you killed them!?"

"NO! I didn't kill them but I wish I had! Or maybe I should've just made YOU kill them! Then MAYBE you'd understand!"

"Well, I'm sure she'd just BEGGED you to kill her so she wouldn't have to put up with you any longer!"

* * *

Something exploded and Antaram and Kanna began running towards the dark circle. Azula glanced at them then glanced at the other two there with her. One moment passed before all three were running after the Dragon and the Ki-Lin.

By the time they caught up, Antaram had managed to pull the Speaker off Haku. The Eldest Ki-Lin now sported a broken nose and black eye while the Speaker's mask was lopsided and black blood leaked from beneath it. Both males were fighting those holding them viciously to get to the other.

Kanna slammed Haku into a tree. "What is wrong with you!?" she shouted at her older brother.

Antaram pinned the Speaker against a tree as well and as he began to calm down, she released him.

"I'm just glad they forget they can bend. I would not have wanted to piece the cosmos back together."

"I didn't forget…" The Speaker gasped. "I just wanted to rip his throat out with my bare hands!!"

He lunged forward and Antaram had to fight just as hard to hold him back. Ziri started to move to help her but she shook her head. It took another several minutes before they got the Speaker calmed down again and this time he looked like he was going to stay that way.

"Look, you two," Antaram snapped. "You sure picked a great time to finally fight it out."

The Speaker sighed, still resting against the tree.

"Tensions are running high, Antaram. It was not a choice. Don't worry. Haku and I will not be seeing each other much longer. Events have been set in motion that cannot be stopped."

"What do you mean?" Ziri asked and Azula glared at him. "What?" he snapped back.

The Speaker chuckled slightly. "I mean, Ziri, in a few weeks, you won't be able to trust my any longer. While I have been within your lives without you knowing, this is the first and last time we shall meet on peaceful grounds."

Shiroten couldn't look away from the thin trail of drying blood on the Speaker's face, black blood.

"I asked you to come here," the Speaker continued. "Because beneath this ground is a temple, the Temple of Prophecy. It is where the original Prophecy is written."

"There's more than one?" Azula despaired. Even Kanna looked surprised.

"Yes," Antaram snapped.

"There's the original," The Speaker cut her off, counting them on his fingers. "The translation which is a bit easier to understand and I suppose you could call the final prophecy "instructions." It is the easiest to understand."

"Why are there three different ones?"

"To make it confusing."

Ziri blinked. "You purposely made it confusing?"

The Speaker nodded. "I couldn't have Eimin finding the Prophecy and sabotaging us from the start. The downside is I have to explain everything to those involved."

"Okay," Azula began looking around. "Where is the entrance to this temple?"

The Speaker pointed and behind them a large rock emitted a groan and split in two, slowly creating an opening large enough for one person at a time. Just then the sky erupted in rain.

_

* * *

_

The gray stallion pounded across the dark wet stone as fire mixed with the heavy rain. However, the stallion's movements were sure and he found secure footing while their pursuers slipped and fell. He leapt a wide crevice easily and continued on. The man on his back was young and grinning wildly as they ran, his black hair whipping and snapping in the wind.

_The woman riding behind him was hidden by a black cloak. Even the arms and hands clutching his waist were covered in black to her fingertips. She hid her face in the flapping of his loose white shirt. _

_The stallion leapt from the stone onto a dirt path cleared from snow. A few dozen soldiers appeared as the crossways and they skidded to avoid them. _

"_Come on, Taki!" the boy shouted gleefully as the soldiers struggled to capture the magnificent stallion and his riders. _

"_Sy!" The woman cried desperately. "I'm old! Stop flinging me about like I'm young and whimsy!" _

"_But you are young!" he cried out as Taki, the stallion, leapt a barricade and continued on. _

_Suddenly, the ground gave way beneath them and Taki struggled to maintain his footing as they slid down the side of the hill. Something exploded behind them and Taki screamed as they were forced into the air. _

_The boy spun in mid-air, flinging his arm forward and the pass they'd fallen through closed over with a thick layer of ice. Then the group came back to earth roughly. _

_The old woman was the first to rise, dusting the snow off her clothes. _

"_I should've never come. You could've handled it on your own." _

_Taki was the next up, shaken up but not injured. A twitch sent the snow accumulated flying and the stallion raised his head and snorted indignantly. _

_The youth lay on his side not far from the others, one arm outstretched above his head, the other folded before his chest. The black locks that fell just below his jaw line when in proper position were tossed over his face. _

_He was laughing. _

_After a moment he sat up, tucking the loose strands behind his ear and lounging, pulling one knee up and resting his arm upon it. The stallion came over to him and he bounced up, placing his hands on his hips and smirking at the soldiers trying to break through his wall of ice. _

* * *

"Are you coming, Speaker?" Haku said, frowning.

The Speaker nodded solemnly and followed the group down, the stone door closing behind them.

* * *

Korosu slipped through a trap door in the bottom of the main prison, something that not even the guards seemed to know was there. As he landed, he lit a small fire in his hand and raised it up to the ceiling, exploring the small tunnel he'd leapt down into.

"Are you sure this is the right way?"

The Qiäng warmed in his hand. _"Yes." _came the affirmative reply. _"She's somewhere up ahead." _

Korosu nodded and continued on, the light moving with him.

* * *

Katara glanced up. She couldn't see anything but she could feel something, warmth, a familiar presence, moving towards her.

For the first time, the Kün spoke to her. _"It's Hiraishin!" _the Spirit cried.

* * *

Korosu knelt and the flame lowered to bare inches from his face as he examined the lock. The proximity of the flame made the new brand on his left shoulder ache once again, the brand of the Elite, but he ignored it.

The lock was opened by fire-bending somehow but it was so intricate he was afraid it might have some type of alarm system.

"_No use going back now." _

"Why am I risking my entire mission for one woman?" he asked Hiraishin.

"_Because this one is special." _

Korosu inserted a small cord of fire into the lock and closed his eyes, carefully investigating the inner turnings of the door.

"I think I've got it," he said softly.

He stood and placed a hand over the lock. He waited a moment before firebending a sharp burst of blue flame into the lock, carefully guiding it to hit all the right tumblers at precisely the right time.

A burst of steam was emitted from around the door and slowly, it creaked open.


	14. Chapter 14

**Pre-AN #1: **I forgot this in the summary in the last chapter.

Iroh and the Speaker had a nice lovely little chat in which the Speaker revealed his identity to Iroh but not to us. The Speaker also used an old magic known as the Fountain of Youth (more of a swamp really) to return Iroh to his teenage years and also brought Nuri, the first son of Agni and Shasa and the first Fire Lord, out of hiding. Nuri and Iroh are to take control of the Fire Nation Elite.

_**Chapter 14**_

* * *

The clouds had a greenish tinge to them and Hakoda closed his eyes against the growing wind. He looked to the south with a growing feeling of foreboding in his heart.

"We were wrong to send him," Jeong Jeong said as he stepped out into the wind with Hakoda, drawing his cloak around him tightly.

Hakoda smiled. "This wind is nothing. You should feel it in the South Pole."

Jeong Jeong frowned at his for a moment and then lowered his gaze, allowing a small smile to graze his grizzled features.

"I hope I get to, my friend."

Hakoda nodded to him. "And in answer, we didn't have a choice."

He raised his head back to the wind. "We couldn't have stopped him."

Jeong Jeong smiled. "I wonder…all this fighting over which element is strongest…which is?"

Hakoda smiled as well. "A fire ball, water whip, air strike, or boulder? No, I think a kiss is the strongest thing any being anywhere can create."

Jeong Jeong turned his head towards the Water tribesmen and nodded. "Aye."

* * *

Korosu stood in front of the open door, peering into the dark room. There was little light, even from his flame and the tiny amount of moonlight that seeped in.

Katara stood as he entered, her heart pounding without measure and tears filled her eyes. Just like in her dreams, his eyes were filled with confusion at her reaction but he was there nonetheless. She crossed the space between them with halting steps, her hands outstretched before her. They came into contact with his chest and when he didn't fade away, she raised a hand to his cheek and watched his eyes narrow.

Hoping.

Korosu stared at her as a burning sensation started in the back of his mind. His gaze narrowed as the pain began to build. It was if he knew her, somehow, and the sight of her was trying to tear some memory from behind the tortured wall of his pain.

"Katara," he breathed after a moment and her sapphire eyes softened.

"Yes?" she begged, almost desperate for something else but he shook his head. The sensation was gone. She nodded anyway.

"That's all right." Her gaze lowered and raked over his form, as if inspecting him for injuries.

"I'm not hurt." He said simply, shifting uncomfortably beneath her gaze.

"Zu…"

He placed a hand over her mouth gently. "I'm not supposed to know, Katara. For some reason…this is how it's supposed to be."

She stared at him for a moment and her arms tightened around his waist, closing the distance between them. He blinked once in surprise as her gaze hardened, a slight anger appearing there. In one swift movement, she grabbed his wrists and shoved him back against the wall, pinning his arms above his head. He was too startled to react.

"I've waited this long and I've got something to say."

He swallowed hard then she smiled.

"I love you too."

The feel of her lips on his was strangely…like coming home.

* * *

The cave was strangely warm and clean but extremely dark.

"Who built this place?" came Ziri's voice from just in front of her. Azula placed a hand on his shoulder as her eyes adjusted and she saw…or rather felt…him smile at her.

"I did." Came the Speaker's voice from the back of the group.

Light flared behind them as the Speaker lit a torch. Azula found another on the wall as did Shiroten and once they were lit, they continued on into the cave. She lost track of how long they descended but after a time the path they walked leveled out and they entered into an enormous cavern.

The Speaker dropped his torch into a well and the flame spread vehemently in a large circle around the cavern, lighting it efficiently and casting an ethereal glow off of the crystalline walls.

"It's beautiful," Ziri commented.

"It suits its purpose." The Speaker replied monotonously.

Azula doused her torch and set it on the floor as she took in the enormous pavilion, the writing on every wall. Ziri followed her gaze. It still astonished her how much he looked like Zuko. Not even twins were supposed to look this much alike.

The Speaker sat cross-legged on a low wall and pushed his bangs back, sighing carefully. Azula suddenly got the feeling that he was very tired.

"Which one's the Prophecy?" Ziri asked, closely inspecting a nearby wall.

"How many temples are there?" Shiroten asked at the same time.

The two teens stared at each other and Ziri burst out laughing while Shiroten gave a small smile and blushed. The Speaker smiled calmly.

"I built four temples: The Temple of the Four, the Temple of Origin, the Temple of the Prophecy, and…"

"The Temple of the Gate?" Haku supplied.

The Speaker chuckled. "No, the Lunar Sanctum."

Haku blinked. "You are strange."

"I know." Came the simple response. "And the Prophecy is at your feet, Ziri."

Ziri looked down and circling out from his feet was more writing but this seemed to follow a pattern even though he didn't understand it.

"Clever," Antaram commented.

"I can't read it." Ziri frowned.

Azula held up a hand even as the Speaker opened his mouth to speak.

"I can. Let's see here…"

She walked in a large circle as Shiroten took up a place near the Speaker. His hand twitched slightly and the Speaker turned to look at him. Something unspoken passed between the two.

Azula tapped her chin and stopped. "I think this is the beginning. All right…'Sphere to se-separate, Darkness…no, Abyss to follow.'"

Ziri sat down opposite the Speaker across the cave and frowned. "Abyss…it's probably talking about those dark demon things…but which…It's talking about Eimin, isn't it?"

Azula nodded. "The spheres…that must be how the gods and goddesses brought the elements to this world, I read something about it in history class."

The rest of them were silent, letting the two Fire Siblings handle the Prophecy themselves. However Antaram and Kanna looked interested while Haku just looked bored. If looks could burn, Shiroten's would have bored a hole in the Speaker's mask by the time Azula had finished speaking.

"What's the next bit, Azula?" Ziri asked with a smile and Azula knelt, sweeping some dust off of the next few characters.

"I think it's just an extension of the first bit. 'Spoken, forgotten, trapped in…hollow,' I think. The first part, 'spoken, forgotten…'" Azula paused and bit her lip. "I have no idea what that means."

"I would've been very surprised if you did, Princess." The Speaker interjected. "It's referring to how those you know as gods and goddesses could only Seal Eimin once by themselves. They 'spoke' the Spell once and subsequently 'forgot' it and Eimin was trapped in the Void between worlds."

"The hollow…"

"Yes."

* * *

The three of them had stopped in a small clearing for the night. Sokka found himself surprised at how well the former bounty hunter could cook. Jun had learned over the past few nights to cook at least three times as much as before. Their food supply began to dwindle and became mostly the small animals that Shirshu hunted. Sokka found it hilarious that they were traveling with the God of Life but kept running out of food. In fact, he found just about everything about Rou hilarious.

"How about this, Sokka? You write me a list of everything I'm supposed to be and I'll work on adhering to it."

Sokka snorted and said something incoherent through his mouthful of food. Rou set his plate down after a few minutes and walked a ways away from the others. He ran a hand through his hair and stared at a single silver strand that came away in his hand.

Why couldn't he remember how he'd defeated Eimin the first time?

If he couldn't remember, how was he supposed to do it this time?

What was his purpose this time around?

* * *

Jet had traveled further into the ice tundra at Kazearashi's direction. Draped in the furs of elk, he shifted the cloth over his face and turned back into the wind. Kazearashi refused to let him bend the snow around him with wind. She said he needed to toughen up.

Turning, Jet looked out to the sea and through the blinding white snow, he was almost sure he saw a fin.

Just before the glacier beneath him burst upward.

* * *

Azula and Ziri were the last back up to the surface. Behind them, the door sealed shut as the sun rose over the rain-dusted earth.

"So…you're really my brother…but…"

"Not Zuko."

Azula sighed. "It's amazing how much you two look alike…it's hard…since I don't know…"

Ziri nodded. "Yeah…"

Ziri blinked and looked around. "I'm not really sure about the rest of the Prophecy and I really wanted to ask the Speaker something but he's apparently not here."

"Shiroten isn't either…nor…where did Antaram go? Isn't she…"

Kanna put her arm around Ziri's shoulders. "Don't worry. If that she-dragon goes off and leaves you, I'll be here."

Ziri shrugged. "I'm just trying to figure out what exactly I'M supposed to do in this. Zuko, Katara, Jet, and Kioko…they all have pretty designated purposes. Haku, Antaram…you…you're all acting like I'm something important. I can't die…a violent death. So…I just don't get it. I'm the Spirit of the Four? What do I do, give them pep talks?"

Kanna and Azula laughed then Azula gave a small smile.

"Imagine how I feel. I have two brothers and a boyfriend stuck in this mess and what am I supposed to do? Sit back and watch?"

Ziri smiled. "You could teach me to fire-bend."

The woods ruffled and the Speaker and Haku came out, the strained tension between them obvious.

"Get some rest." The Speaker stated. "Haku will take you to meet the rebel army in the morning. They aren't far from here."

Azula blinked. "I thought our raiding was doing well."

"It was." Haku supplied. "But his strength is nearing its peak. Soon, there isn't going to be anything left worth raiding."

"His?"

"You know who we mean." The Speaker continued. "Stop saying his name. At the rate his power is growing, knowing we are talking about him by name draws attention to our position."

"You can call him by his old name. Kind of like Speaker, for this idiot…"

"Pinhead for you."

Haku glared at the Speaker who glared right back. Azula sighed and snapped her finger, a spark flying from the contact.

"Focus, what do we call him?"

"Slayer."

* * *

The sun woke him for the first time in a very long time and Korosu blinked in surprise, sitting up straight in his bed. No one else was around and he wondered if finding Katara had been a dream but the weight of something around his neck told him differently. He raised a hand and touched the blue necklace, sighing in relief.

Then he noted that the scent of fire and ash was extremely pungent in the air this morning.

The other Elite were awaking slowly as Korosu pulled on his shirt, heading for the window.

Sinister black clouds were emanating from the Fire Palace and spreading out over the land…like a tumor almost. Thunder roiled and blue lightning crackled over them.

Below, Iroh, newly christened Hiro, and Nuri stared up in wonder until Nuri pushed Iroh on.

"Come on, we can't stay still long. HE will lock on to us."

Iroh nodded and hurried on after Nuri. He was still getting used to the fact that he no longer had any girth of which to speak. He was lean and wiry just as he had been at age sixteen. This was something else.

* * *

The Speaker held out his hand for the group to stop. He raised his head and Haku stepped up to his side. Following the two, the rest of the group raised their heads to see a large dark cloud funneling out from a nearby storm, heading straight towards them.

"That's odd," Ziri said softly.

Antaram and Kanna immediately took defensive positions around Ziri. Azula joined them a hair's breadth later. If the Eldest Dragon and a Ki-Lin were defending her brother, she wasn't going to let them have all the fun.

The Speaker scowled. "He's moving faster than I anticipated."

"Something's happening you didn't anticipate?" Haku snapped and the Speaker nearly growled.

The funnel centered out over them then spun down, wind whipping the clearing violently.

"Get the children back." the Speaker said shortly.

Haku did as he was told, pushing them back to the edge of the clearing as the Speaker watched the funnel, his body tense as the wind whipped his loose black hair, his hand clenched at his sides.

Shadow molded over the clearing like a plague, crushing out the sun. It pressed against the shield make by the two Ki-Lin but didn't break through, now centering on the one soul unguarded.

"It should be me…" Haku whispered.

"Shut up. Protect the children."

Haku fell silent, keeping up the shield next to his sister.

The Shadow convulsed, rippled, and then swirled into the form of a man with gleaming eyes. The world pulled and warped around him as if the man's very existence was _wrong._

"Even the Speaker has come forth?" the man hissed and the words fell tainted.

The Speaker frowned lightly.

"No. I was always here, Slayer."

* * *

Rou stopped dead, hauling back on Shirshu's reins as he stared off into the woods. He'd been running away from the darkness. In that moment, with Jun and Sokka staring at him, he realized he was needed there. Badly.

* * *

Eimin scowled, obviously annoyed that his return had been anticipated and consequently prepared for. He then shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. You won't stop me. Still…I've always wanted to kill you and since my..."

Here the Speaker smiled.

"...plans have not allowed me much time to disembowel…"

The Shadow swirled and a hundred thousand needle-like spires honed in on the Speaker. With a light touch and a breath of wind, the Speaker danced backwards. As he landed once again, the earth rattled and cracked, groaning at the taint beseeching it.

The Speaker wavered, finding his balance but not in time as Eimin howled, leaping forward. The Speaker managed to dodge his first attack but then claws raked down over his mask. The solid gold didn't crack or split…it crumpled like paper and fell to the ground smoking as the Speaker leapt back several feet, one arm covering his face. Two thin trickles of blood fell from his forehead.

Haku cursed. Eimin stared.

"You. YOU!"

Zyperis wiped the blood from his forehead and altered his stance. No words were necessary as Eimin lifted his head and screeched in fury.

"No!" Azula screamed but Haku held her back. Anger bled from her eyes mixed with confusion.

Zyperis…their enemy, the…thing…that had tried to kill Jet and so many countless others…was the _Speaker!?_


	15. Chapter 15

_She lifted her hand, yellow parchment wet and stretched over bone and covered his eyes. His lips parted in natural reaction to his nose being covered. Sweat lined their bodies, entwined, blankets pushed to the side in lieu of self-created heat. She smiled, the first true smile she'd ever smiled and he felt it even without seeing, he felt her smile and returned it. Her free hand lay on his bare arm and he licked his lips, his lashes fluttering against her hand. _

_"Ana..."  
_

_"You'll feel it, my love, when the sky closes and the ground opens up. You'll feel it. You won't see it but you'll feel it."_

_"You have to be so philosophical sometimes."_

_"Trust me, my love. One day you'll need my words. Trust me...Zyperis."_

* * *

**_Chapter 15_**

* * *

Three men stood in a circle around a stone altar just the length of a human body and exactly three feet off the ground. They lifted their eyes at a silent call they all heard. They all moved as one, turning slowly to look at one another, a soundless decision made. They each moved as one to return to the altar.

"Faster." They said...in one voice.

* * *

The dark cloud over the Fire Nation growled and rumbled ominously and the crowds below struggled to get indoors before what they thought was a thunderstorm was unleashed. In the hall outside of the Fire Lord's bedroom, several guards stood watch.

Inside the Fire Lord's bedroom, Zyperis paced back and forth. On the bed, another Zyperis lounged, watching. At the desk, was a third Zyperis.

The one pacing turned and pointed a finger at the one on the bed.

"You, go and retrieve the Air Hatchling."

The one at the desk twirled a knife.

"The Four must be reunited."

The one pacing clapped his hands and sighed. The one on the bed stood, drew a seal on his own forehead in blood, and vanished in a swirl of wind and red light.

"Let me guess," the one at the desk mused. "I'm to take the Son of Earth?

The one pacing nodded, rubbing his temple. "I'll get the Son of Agni and Nen's Daughter out of here. Wait a moment, why are we discussing this?"

The one the desk shrugged.

"Because the Leader is incapacitated."

"Go now!" The one pacing shouted and the one at the desk sighed before repeating the signature of the copy on the bed and vanishing.

The Zyperis pacing stopped and turned, wringing his hands together. The strain of simply existing was wearing on him and he ran out of the bedroom and down towards the living area of the Elite.

"Korosu! Come now!"

Korosu tossed back his covers and grabbed a shirt, already following the Fire Lord as he staggered down the hallway towards the prisons. Zyperis staggered and Korosu stepped forward to steady him.

"Are you all right, Fire Lord?"

"I'm not your Fire Lord, Son of Agni."

Korosu blinked in surprise. Zyperis doubled over as a small trickle of blood fell from the corner of his mouth.

"You..."

"It's too complicated to explain right now. We need to get Katara."

Korosu nodded and, supporting Zyperis, headed to Katara's cell. He stopped just outside the prison and helped Zyperis to lean against the wall.

"Explain part of it to me."

Zyperis sighed as he stared at Korosu and closed his eyes.

"My name is Zyperis and I'm the Speaker for the Powers That Be. I've been secretly working against Eimin by hiding at his side, using my biological connection to him as a shield. My cover has been compromised...no..." he chuckled. "It's been obliterated. Eimin is using the Fire Nation as a base. I have to get you and Katara out of here before he finds you here."

Korosu nodded. A few of the guards started coming down the aisle towards them. The sight of one they thought of as their Fire Lord weak and bleeding caused them to half-shout in worry and come running.

"Kill them, Korosu," Zyperis offered.

Korosu pulled the knife from his belt and walked into the first, the blade sliding under the guard's jaw, up and into his brain. The corpse fell twitching as Korosu flicked his wrist. The other guard started to slow and pull back but Korosu was upon him in an instant. The wet knife buried itself in the guard's throat and Korosu used the body as leverage to propel himself up. The heel of his boot connected with the third man's temple and sent him to the ground as Korosu spun, freeing his knife and spinning, the blade slashing across the throat of the final guard.

Sprayed with blood, Korosu landed and straightened up, wiping the blood from the knife on one of the guard's uniforms.

"Get Katara," Zyperis continued, his breathing labored.

Korosu knelt and retrieved the keys from one of the corpse's, stepping over them and on them to get back to Katara's cell.

Inside, Katara stood at the sounds of combat outside her cell. She distinctly felt four deaths before Korosu pulled the door open, standing in the doorway framed by firelight. Without hesitation, she rushed into his arms, immediately checking to see if he'd been harmed. Then Katara saw Zyperis where he leaned against the wall for support, blood now flowing freely from his mouth.

"Speaker!"

"You knew?" Korosu gasped as Katara lifted Zyperis up, wiping away the blood.

"Korosu, find me some water!"

Korosu had turned to do so when Zyperis' voice stopped him.

"Katara, there's no need. I don't have a body to heal."

Katara stared at him and Zyperis chuckled lightly. "I am a clone of the real Zyperis. Nothing but Spirit and a little Light. The real Zyperis lacks the strength to support us anymore."

"There's more of you?" Korosu interjected and the clone nodded.

"Six more to be exact. Three of us have gone to retrieve the Four from their subsequent hiding places. The other three are performing one last task, the last thing Zyperis will be able to do for anyone."

"Is he...dying?" Katara whispered and the clone smiled.

"It's highly likely. Now if you two will help me, we need to get to the top floor of the west tower."

Korusu walked over and pulled Zyperis' clone onto his back with little fanfare.

"Let's go."

* * *

Jet pushed himself back and skidded on the snow. He'd been on his way to the Northern Water Tribe capital but, of course, he gets attacked by some random...thing.

The ice had cracked but not broken, water spurting out. Jet realized that with the thickness of the ice below, even to make the water trickle out would've required a massive force, a massive being.

Whatever it was slammed into the ice again and the broken slabs arched up. Jet lifted a hand and the Hiketsu began to glow, the tundra winds shifting to his command, swirling around his arm, prepared to lash out at whatever came through.

Another thunderous crack sounded through the air and a brilliant blue unagi pushed up through the ice. Jet could hardly believe it but...the creature was actually _beautiful._ The sunlight gleamed against her scales, turning them every shade of blue imaginable. Slowly Jet let the wind die down and watching the unagi pull itself out of the water and bask in the sunlight.

"_Son of Samir."_

Jet straightened and inclined his head to the unagi. She seemed to smile. Light shone through her and a moment later, an equally beautiful Water Tribe woman stood before him.

"Nen?" he whispered and she nodded.

Behind him, a dozen Water Tribe warriors appeared, urging their elk across the frozen fields. They arrived moments later.

"Goddess Nen," the first said, skidding to a stop before glancing at Jet. "...and companion. May we offer you a ride to the palace?"

Jet laughed and Nen smiled. "Sure. Let's go."

The man helped Nen onto the elk behind him and another offered Jet a ride. Jet was also given a thick fur coat which he lavished over once wrapped in its warm confines. The tundra natives chuckled at his excitement but Nen urged them on to the capital.

Jet was astonished by the beauty of the Northern Water Tribe as they entered the city through a massive ice wall that was lowered by waterbenders on each side of the gate. Nen waved to them both but the entire company jumped as the sound of a large explosion came from their left. The man with which Jet was riding gave a sigh.

"They just won't give in."

"The Fire Nation?" Jet asked quietly and Nen's guide nodded.

"Yes, they have been here since the great lords Agni and Mamoru and the lady Kaia assisted us. They bring tanks over the risen land and continue to attack. They will not give in."

Jet turned and both of them stared in surprise. Nen nearly fell off her elk and the rider with her had to grab her arm.

"_Yue?!"_

* * *

Korosu and Katara half carried/half dragged Zyperis' clone up to the top of the west tower. There on the floor, drawn in chalk, was a large circle with symbols drawn all around. The clone chuckled as Korosu helped him to the floor to sit.

"Normally we don't have to use such a base but this is rather an emergency. I can't promise where you'll come out but you'll be safe." he said.

While he spoke, a small bubble of blood formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Are you going to be okay?" Katara asked automatically.

The clone smiled at her wearily. "No, I'm not. Get in the circle."

Korosu took Katara's hand and stepped into the circle. The clone dragged himself to the edge of the chalk circle where he placed both of his hands on the edge of the line. After a breathless moment, Korosu moved forward and touched the clone's shoulder. The Light of the Illusion was beginning to fade and the clone looked less and less like Zyperis.

"Zyperis...clone..."

Here the clone smiled and Korosu swallowed hard, not sure if he wanted the answer to his question.

"Will I ever remember?"

The clone's smile grew wider, darker. His eyes lost their color and through them, Korosu felt he could see far beyond the world they were in, the world they had come from, to the place where all time had begun...and where time was kept prisoner.

Korosu gasped as the clone reached up and wrapped a hand in his hair, pulling his head down and whispering in his ear.

"The right words...by the right person...at the right time...What shines brighter than the sun?"

Korosu yelped when the clone pushed him back into the circle and Katara grabbed him, curling up around him almost protectively. Korosu gave the clone one last look before closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around Katara.

Two moments later...the room was empty.

* * *

Eimin screamed with incomprehensible rage, and lashed out with one hand, the black paw lengthening out to an impossible reach and slashing at Zyperis from across the battlefield. Unmoved, the Speaker raised a hand, stiffened the fingers, and slashed downward with it.

Lightning cracked, and a bolt of fury severed the paw and its talons. Eimin shrieked in pain, the dismembered limb retracting but Zyperis shot forward a step and caught the steaming stump in one hand.

"There's nowhere to run." he hissed.

His arm sparked with thunder, driving thousands of volts through Eimin and into a stake of metal that erupted from the earth on the other side of the Death God. Flesh crackled and burnt to the sound of the Slayer's howls until Zyperis hauled back on the limb with superhuman strength, jerking Eimin off his feet and towards his Judas.

The Speaker met his descending jaw with a rising palm strike that launched him upwards again, but Zyperis again seized his collar and slammed a hand seething with plasma into Eimin's gut. Writhing and steaming, the Death God lashed out with his other set of claws, which Zyperis severed with a spat word and a serpentine lash of wind.

While his foe squirmed, impaled on a screeching blade of energy, Zyperis wasted not a moment. He glared down at his plasma-sheathed hand, and spoke another word that crackled with primordial force. The plasma detonated with a bang and Eimin disintegrated in a shower of black.

Zyperis straightened, started to turn when the black coalesced into a shapeless mass behind him. He blinked in shock and blurred away as a maw of black studded with teeth lunged out and bit off the tips of his hair. The Speaker whirled mid-dash, just in time to duck under a whirring buzz saw of pitch mass, and leap upwards on a buffer of wind as a rolling wave of shadow coated the ground.

Haku started forward but Antaram caught his arm.

"Kanna cannot maintain the shield alone. We're safe here."

Haku growled. "He needs help."

"Doesn't look like it," Azula snarled.

High above, Zyperis glared down at the vat that was Eimin, the black blight covering the land beneath. It laughed, a parasite on the back of the continent itself.

"Perish, traitor." the mass hissed, raising a cobra-head plated in shadow. "There will be an eternal freefall for you at the END!"

The cobra lashed forward and Zyperis bellowed, splitting it with an azure lightning bolt and then he paled as the separate halves divided into dozens of hydra-shoots and lunged forward. The Speaker crossed his arms and grunted as he burst into white flame that ate away the heads before they tried to bite.

Zyperis blasted downward on another jet stream before the heads could reform, grinding away the pitch on the earth with air pressure before crashing to a stop on the dirt. Grunting, he forced his hands into the silt and then outwards, creating a single puff of dust. Tremendous walls of earth arose on all sides and then toppled over, crushing the black marshes. Tar squirted out from beneath the slabs of stone then began whirling around the Speaker in a dust-devil storm of shadow.

Gritting his teeth, Zyperis clapped and the air around the storm imploded, rushing inward with a bang; the black was crushed into nonexistence by the force, and a screech sounded from beneath the stone slabs. A beast of black rage, bearing the appearance of an ape with a flailing white mane, erupted through the middle of a slab like a heathen volcano and dashed towards Zyperis with a scream, even as its spawn-brothers emerged with matching howls.

The Speaker split the first with another word and blade of air then bashed the remains up into the atmosphere with an updraft, where it froze somewhere in the sky. The second lunged at him from the side, and, disdainfully, Zyperis drew a pillar of stone up and slammed it into the construct's face, bashing it open like a melon. Then, with a swipe, the pillar pivoted in the earth and swatted another beast out of the air.

Zyperis crouched then spun, a circular, jagged blade of silver force lashing outward and cutting through every animal at the knees. Then he stopped and reversed the spin; and the circle shuddered and shattered, a thousand cracking whips of silver chopping everything within forty feet of the Speaker into chunks no wider than an inch.

Panting, Zyperis glanced around. There was stillness.

"You're still here, Eimin." he murmured. "Come out and perish for me. It is not done until you do."

A reverberating chuckle and a mirror of black rose from the dirt in front of Zyperis, the scrubby grass near the pane rotting yellow and then collapsing into ash. The Speaker looked into the portal and saw a photo negative of himself; a white-irised, black skinned man that rippled like a pond.

"It's never done." Eimin replied, smiling. "But I'm going to change that."

"Zyperis!" Haku shouted, once again held back by Antaram. "Let me go!"

The world rocked as the ground turned into a flat plane of black glass and shattered upwards. Zyperis hurled himself skyward and summoned a zephyr to hold him aloft, glanced down, and watched in disbelief as the thousand shards of glass turned to obsidian crows. They cawed in a single, bone-rattling unity and dove at him.

Two quick hand motions and the zephyr exploded in a rectus of wind; the crows were torn apart by the winds rapidly. A glance down revealed that the earth had been shattered and torn by...whatever Eimin had done with that glass spell. The Speaker crushed the earth flat beneath him and landed again - only for something to smash into the back of his skull and catapult him to the ground.

Zyperis twisted his head around painfully to see Eimin emerging from his own _shadow_. He hissed and cast a simple light; his shadow rotated around and lengthened, putting distance between the two.

Eimin just chuckled and flicked a finger. The Speaker's shadow whipcracked like a living thing, shattering both his ankles where the shadow connected to his feet. He screamed and blasted the shadow from existence with a lightning bolt, spun in midair, and lanced another at Eimin.

The God of Death simply stood there as the thunder shot into his black chest and off into an endless abyss. It dwindled from sight in seconds.

Zyperis, gaping and trying to stand, had no time to react as tar erupted from the dark behind his eyeballs and tore them out. The gently bloodied orbs rolled to a stop by Eimin's feet, smeared with black. The Speaker collapsed, twitching silently.

"Everything ends." Eimin said quietly to the convulsing form. "Even you, traitor."

A mirror of black rose from the dirt in front of Zyperis, the scrubby grass near the pane rotting yellow and then collapsing into ash. It drifted to float over Zyperis. Then, without hurry, it drew his shivering form into the umbral depths.

Haku screamed his protest and nearly fell forward out of the shield before Antaram caught him. They all stared at the black portal in horror, Haku uttering obscenities directed at the Slayer. He steadied himself, tears pouring down his face, and prepared himself to fight Eimin.

The Slayer paid him no mind, amused by the glass and what lay beyond it.

Zyperis whirled and saw black.

He whirled again and saw more black.

All around him, the inky maw of silence extended, endless and impermeable. The traitorous Speaker turned around and around, looking for some spark of light in the night. There was none. There was no hope.

Zyperis screamed his denial as the void blossomed Teeth and ate him alive.

* * *

_Zyperis Vs. Eimin written by Gleam and edited by Elenea Galad._


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

A young Ki-lin was resting on an stone altar in an empty room, his pelt a dark gray. Chalk circles surrounded the altar and the smell of burnt sage was strong in the air. Slowly, he began to stir. As the firelight flickered, it caught his silver alicorn and he shook his mane, lifting his head and looking around.

Dozens if not hundreds of Runeblades lay in a corner, products of the Speaker's hard work. The Speaker's last three clones were nothing more than dust on the floor, blown by the wind into the nearby volcanic flow. His last, final, and most important gift had been to his only friend.

Tasuki, son of Haku, the Eldest Ki-Lin, stood and carefully stepped down from the altar, his hooves clacking on the stone. He lifted his head and searched the air for his father's scent before trotting up the stairs and away.

* * *

Skandranon was resting at the back of Appa's saddle, his feathery cloak folded around him to shield from the wind. Toph and Aang were sitting on Appa's head, ignoring the gryphon Elder. They had been traveling in silence all day. Aang kept glancing back at the strange man who more often than not would always raise his head to meet Aang's gaze.

Aang sighed deeply and Toph huffed. Neither of them really had any idea where they were going since Skandranon had stopped leading them.

"No."

Both of them turned around to just glimpse Skandranon falling off the edge of Appa's saddle and bursting into his gryphon form with a flurry of feathers. They followed the Kuro Gryphon through the cloud cover to come out over a charred mountainside. It wasn't until they reached the Temple that Aang recognized the ruins of Hibari.

Appa had barely landed before Aang was scampering, looking for survivors, shouting his disbelief in tones to the heavens. Skandranon landed near the Temple and seemed to frown, ignoring the wailing human. Toph slid off Appa and caught Aang as he passed her again.

"I'm sorry, Aang, but there's nothing you can do."

Aang struggled not to sob. "Air-bender survivors...and Eimin took them from me again. I'll kill him. I'll kill him."

Skandranon fluttered his feathers, watching the two, the young airbender sobbing on the shoulder of the young earthbender. He'd seen too much carnage in his time to care much about the ruined mountains.

"Elements have a way of rebirthing themselves." he said quietly. "Turn your attention to the Sanctum."

"The Sanctum?" Toph repeated and Aang stumbled over to where Skandranon stood, viewing the gate.

"This is where Kioko and I saw the White Dragon. He's up there," Aang remarked as he nodded, pointing to the tip of the mountain.

Skandranon nodded. "Yes, Alem's true form is encased in crystal at the top of this mountain. Separation of soul and body...a truly perfect Seal as only a Ki-Lin could perform. But the gate is shut. Why is it shut?"

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, starting to come down from the high the anger had put him in. They were both starting to shiver from the bitter winds now sweeping down on the unprotected valley.

Skandranon looked back and took pity on the two pathetic humans. He walked back between them and transformed back into his human form, his feathered cloak falling over them and shielding them from the wind.

"Something bad has happened. The gate to the Sanctum would only close..." he froze and Aang looked up at him, Toph placed a hand on his arm.

"If..."

"If the Speaker is dead."

Skandranon turned from the two and bustled them into a cave. With a wave of his hand he had a warm fire burning.

"Stay here. I will return shortly."

With that he took off into the wind, quickly climbing and disappearing into the sky.

* * *

Haku was shaking, maintaining the shield with only half a mind, tears pouring down his face. Peer had turned to Partner had turned to Friendship had turned to Love had turned to Hate and Love and Hate were one in the same. His friend...Zyperis was gone. Zyperis was...

The bud of shadow shuddered.

Then it spat out a bloody mass of flesh, riven and torn by phantasmal fangs. It moaned and rolled over, spilling lifeblood by the pint.

Just a few steps away, Eimin silently raised a hand, a finger-long blade black as midnight glimmering on the edge.

The quivering mass once called Zyperis shot a bone-rotted fist up in response and clenched.

Eimin glanced at the hand and blinked as within that fist, a heaving mass of black was crushed.

Somewhere within his depths, Eimin felt something germinate. It spread and spread. Roots spread. Branches flowered.

He opened his mouth and vomited a blossom of the purest rage, an endless overgrowing life that divided, multiplied, and budded into something far more than magnificent: destruction.

Eimin fell to his knees, leaking honeydew and amber from the growing rents in his black body, as his world pulsed from within.

The huddled group hiding behind the Eldest Ki-Lin watched in both horror and euphoria as that which was Eimin simply shattered.

The dark clouds hovering over them began to dissipate and warmth crept back into the air. Kanna released the shield and Haku ran forward, kneeling by the bloody mass and pulling him into his arms. The thing that had been Zyperis shuddered once and went still.

Kanna was sobbing. The humans were in shock. Antaram touched Ziri's shoulder then walked forward slowly, unhooking her cloak from her dress.

"Here, Haku. Wrap him in this. Dragon skin, my father's."

The Ki-lin looked up, his eyes swollen with tears. Azula stepped forward and Shiroten followed, the young Shadow-bender struggling to hide his own tears. The two of them with Kanna laid out the cloak and Haku and Antaram transferred the body to its new shroud.

The Speaker of the Powers That Be was dead.

Kanna wrapped her arms around herself and voiced quietly what was on everyone's mind.

"What do we do now?"

* * *

The world spun, turned on itself, then ceased to exist. For a moment, the two could not breathe for there was no air and they had no lungs with which to breathe. Then everything righted itself and Korosu and Katara settled gently onto a grassy meadow.

It was several moments before Korosu looked up and Katara opened her eyes. They were in a small clearing surrounded by trees. Korosu frowned but Katara was grinning. She grinned for she recognized exactly where they were.

"Some place safe," she giggled, causing Korosu to raise an eyebrow as she danced around the clearing.

The clearing had obviously been inhabited at some point. There was a halfway decent mud hut, remnants of traps in the nearby stream, and a barely overgrown fire pit.

Korosu stood slowly, looking around as Katara danced around. She finally came to a stop, clasping her hands together at her chest.

"Should I find this place familiar?" he asked quietly.

"Do you?" she returned. He frowned, still staring at the hut. "A little bit?"

"A little bit."

Katara laughed and walked into his arms, tossing her arms over his shoulders and kissing him brightly.

"This is where we fell in love. We were trapped here together."

He smiled. "Sounds like paradise."

Katara grinned. "We didn't think so at the time."

"I can't imagine not loving you," Korosu laughed and Katara kissed him once again.

"There's a lot of stuff left from the last time we were here. It'll be our paradise once again."

Katara skipped from his arms to pull the fishing basket from the stream. It was broken in a few places but she could fix it easily.

"Katara,"

She turned to see Korosu's smile was gone. "What's wrong, huo?"

He chuckled at the nickname but walked to her and knelt by her side.

"Zyperis was badly hurt. He may be dead by now. The world...the world is in much worse shape than it was whenever we were here. We've changed. We're the Daughter of Nen and the Son of Agni now. This won't be paradise until the world is safe again."

Katara nodded. "I'm sorry. I'd...forgotten."

Korosu laid a hand on her hand, finding the braid was tangled and reached up, gently undoing the braid and combing her hair out as best he could. Katara was silent, her eyes closed, content. After a while she interrupted Korosu's work by turning to lay her head against his chest. Korosu smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

* * *

The people in the Fire Nation capital gathered outside the palace, waiting. The attendees of the palace were all dressed in white and soon their waiting was over as Admiral Min stepped forward.

"People of the Fire Nation, I bring you disheartening news. While the great Lord Ozai lies weakened and sick, the Earth Kingdom has struck us again. Our Fire Lord Peris, while battling in the field and against overwhelming numbers, has been killed."

He paused, waiting for the cries of anguish and despair to pass.

"I am told the battle was brutal and he took many of our enemy with him. The earth they cherish so much was black with blood."

Eimin swept the crowd with his gaze, keeping a sorrowful look on his face when he felt like shouting with glee.

The Speaker was dead. His main obstacle was dead. The world would burn and turn to ash and he'd rule it all.

"But his ideals remain, his vision for this country remains!" his voice grew stronger. "Though it is with a heavy heart that I take the crown, I will see Lord Peris' work finished! We will see the day when every nation bows to the flame!"

His words were met with roars of approval.

The Fire Nation's soul was sold.

* * *

The group was quiet. Antaram sat by the fire while Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee had hidden themselves away in their tent. Ziri lay curled up by the fire, his head resting in Kanna's lap and she smoothed his hair, willing him to sleep. Shiroten had vanished.

Haku lay next to Zyperis' body in his Ki-Lin form, his head resting on the Speaker's cold chest. His eyes were half-lidded and he hadn't spoken since the end of the battle.

"Haku..." Antaram said quietly. "What should we do?"

Haku blinked slowly but made no other movement.

"_I don't know." _ Haku said, tilting his head away from them. _"He never told me more than I needed to know. Just in case..."_

Antaram sighed, turning back to the fire. "We've got to figure out what he was planning. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise Eimin will win?" Ziri added, his eyes closed.

"You're supposed to be asleep." Kanna sighed but smiled gently.

Haku lifted his head. _"We can figure something out. It can't be that hard."_

Just as he finished speaking, a loud crashing was heard from their right. Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee came rushing out of the tent as Antaram, Kanna and Haku stood, prepared to take on this new enemy. Ziri was left sprawled on the ground, groggy.

"What now?" he growled, rubbing his head.

* * *

It had been snowing for nearly three days now and the tents, painted white to hide from the Fire Nation, no longer needed the disguise.

Haru risked the short trip in the white-out to the general's tent, his cloak pulled tightly around him. For most of the three days that the army had been at a standstill, the generals had been discussing what was probably the most important fact in the entire war. It was something Haru knew the answer to, something Jeong Jeong and Hakoda knew, but something they just couldn't make Zhang believe.

The Son of Earth entered the tent in the middle of another heated debate.

"I refuse to believe that some God of Death is controlling the Fire Nation simply because of an equally ridiculous 2,000 year old prophecy."

Jeong Jeong bristled, Hakoda was blessedly absent for this one.

"Look around you, Zhang. The world is turning itself inside out. Drought and floods within yards of one another, snow in the Fire Nation, extreme heat in the poles...still, you refuse to admit that there might be something supernatural going on!"

Zhang snorted, folding his hands over his chest, his green robes swirling.

Terumi began to speak and Haru voiced her words to those present.

"It's all right, Jeong Jeong. Zhang doesn't want to admit that the Slayer might be dictating the Fire Nation's actions because that would mean he's up against an enemy he doesn't understand."

Zhang turned and stared at the teen but Haru realized that he felt no fear facing the general. He knew, without a doubt, which one of them was stronger. He and Terumi had been training nearly nonstop for days. He didn't have to leave his tent to train unlike the other soldiers.

"You all treat this boy...and the other brat...as if they were something special. Son of Earth...Son of Agni...even if the gods existed and you are their child...you are still an arrogant child who should..."

The general was cut off by a loud crash outside the tent. All occupants rushed outside and in the blinding snow, a flash of blue could be seen driving up waves of the powder.

A flash of blue interrupted by a gleam of red. The beast came to a skidding stop before Haru and Jeong Jeong. The elder gasped and Haru's Shou began to gleam on its own.

"Shasa...dear Alem, what is happening?"

The ethereal ice phoenix screeched to the heavens and the torrential winds whipped up the loose snow, turning it into deadly shears. The Goddess Shasa, in her true form, stretched out her wings and burst once again into the sky. Her eyes gleamed red, the red of Eimin's control.

Haru half-wanted to gloat at the astonished look on Zhang's face but their men were dying. None of them knew what to do and none of them wanted to hurt the Goddess Shasa.

She rose above them and screamed again. Black tendrils burst forth from her body and a mist descended on the field. The onyx plague entered the army's lungs, turning bile into iron and will into dust. Jeong Jeong and Hakoda both fell, hacking until their own entrails refused them. Haru alone remained untouched, the light of the Shou burning a path around him. He ran forward, foolishly trying to clear the air of the blight with the simple light.

The blight seemed to laugh at him as it boiled back into the space once he left it.

Haru fell to his knees, completely at a loss. What could control of earth do here? He needed air or...something.

Just when despair had just about gripped him...an enormous golden dragon came over the hill, barely skimming the ground. Agni leveled a blast of fire at the blight as he took to the air. The darkness howled in pain and Shasa came down on top of the dragon, tearing at his neck with her fangs.

All Haru could do was watch in horror.


	17. Chapter 17

A young man stood at the edge of a river, refilling his water bag as a large dapple gray stallion stood next to him. He was dressed in plain grey robes after the style of the country he was in, already learning just how to blend in with those around him. His eyes were those of someone who had seen much and far beyond their years.

He stood and placed the stopper in the bag. As he turned, he noticed a Ki-lin standing a few hundred feet away from himself and Taki. The mist dancing over the Ki-lin's mane and tail and bluish-tint to his hide marked him as Water.

"_Greetings."_ the Ki-lin said shortly before taking a hesitant step forward.

The man looked at the Ki-lin for a long moment before turning to tie the water bag to Taki's saddle.

"What do you want?"

The Ki-lin took another hesitant step forward. _"I'd settle for your name."_

The man turned back to the Ki-lin, letting his hands fall limp to his side.

"Does it matter?" he said bitterly.

"_So you are him, the Child, Speaker for the Powers That Be." _

His eyes darkened and he looked blankly at the stirrup his hand had come to rest on. Taki nickered in distress at his master's mood.

"Yes." he said shortly.

The Ki-lin stepped forward again, this time continuing his advance, sensing the Speaker's dark mood but lack of hostility.

"_You are but a rumor to the Elementals but they still pray for your assistance in their plight."_

"What are you?" the Speaker snapped. "Their messenger?"

The Ki-lin stopped a few feet from him, watching him with one too blue eye.

"_I am just a Ki-lin." _

He looked at the Ki-lin closer, walking up until if he reached out, he could just touch the Ki-lin's alicorn.

"No, you're their prince. There have been many Eldest in your line. The Ki-lin want to help the Elementals but they need me to move first."

The Ki-lin was silent but his eyes spoke for him.

He sighed. "I was born Shiante, a sorceror. My father is the one who wages war against the Elementals."

He walked back to his stallion and began fiddling with the saddle's straps.

"I want to go home." A lie.

"I want to see my son." Not a lie.

"What could I do for them?" Useless question.

The Ki-lin seemed to deflate then scratched his ear with his back foot.

"_You're the Speaker. If you side with them, it shows the Powers That Be have not forsaken them."_

He closed his eyes, thinking of the name Ana had given him, the name of the Speaker.

"Zyperis," he whispered. The Ki-lin flicked his ear.

"_Hm?" _

"My name is Zyperis."

"_I am Haku."_

Zyperis raised his hands to Taki's saddle and pulled himself into place. Haku raised his head and tossed his mane.

"_What are you going to do?" _

Zyperis took up Taki's reins and sighed gently.

"Forget the past year. Go home. See my son. Then...organize and direct the rebellion of the Elementals."

Haku flicked an ear then followed Zyperis south towards the vast capital city of Shiante.

"_I will help you forget."_

* * *

It was raining.

The young man was not young any longer.

The Ki-Lin's pelt was just beginning to darken with age.

"_We are all going to die,"_

Zyperis almost laughed. "When we die, we'll die together, my friend."

"_Can they really separate the Elements from this world and take them to another?"_

Zyperis nodded, rain dripping from his short locks and forming furrows in the dirt on his face. A weary army of Ki-lin, Dragons, Gryphons, and Elementals stood behind him. The tower before them that they had worked so hard to seize was crumbling.

Exhausted but needed, Zyperis stepped forward and raised his hand. The earth of the tower bowed to his will and the falling stone held for a few moments longer, long enough for four Elementals to come rushing out.

Niga, of Fire.

Asa, of Water.

Moru, of Earth.

Mira, of Air.

They ran to him through the driving rain, Moru carrying the box they'd all fought for.

"Where's Coal?" Zyperis asked quickly and Niga shook his head.

"He's still fighting Lord Kolyn. He told us to get the Elements and come to you."

Zyperis nodded and turned to Haku.

"You know what to do, right Haku?"

Haku nodded, the rain having lengthened his mane until it shadowed his face and fell nearly to his knees.

"_Wait until Coal has weakened Kolyn then Seal them both." _

Zyperis nodded and Haku ran forward into the tower that was not a tower. The Speaker turned back to the first Four.

"I've already told you what to do."

The Four looked shaky but they did know. Zyperis turned to the army behind him and stepped up to his general.

"The new world will be volatile, uninhabitable. We must shape it for you."

He lifted his head to the mass, the army that had taken his word solemnly, laid their trust in him.

"I promised you, all of you, that I would end Shiante's rule over you and I have done that."

There was scattered nodding.

"I promised you that I would save your world. I was unable to."

They were still. The broken sky above them crackled and screamed.

"I told you I would create you a new world and I'm going to. Myself, the Ki-lin, and the four chosen by the Powers That Be will go and create you a new world and when it is ready...I will come for you. I promise."

They nodded, mostly in unison, but there were some too wounded and too tired to lift their heads.

Zyperis turned to the plains near them, turned to ash and mud by the constant rain. He lifted his hand over them and the earth began to take shape, a city rising up to shelter his army, walls to hold out the Abyss amidst the fire pits.

"Wait for me. I will come for you."

He turned back to the four and Moru opened the box as they formed a circle around him. Light burst from the box, first glowing softly then growing in intensity until all were forced to look away.

A moment later, the four as well as Zyperis, were gone.

A new world took shape.

Haku led the Ki-lin across the Void Between Worlds to the new world. Many died during the trip and when they arrived, Haku was Eldest.

Zyperis was not surprised.

A young goddess and a Ki-lin stood on a cliff over the sea in the newly formed Fire Nation.

"You've helped my people so much, Eldest Haku."

"_It was my chosen duty, Lady Keilantra." _

She smiled, lifted a strand of his darkening mane from over his eye.

"Can I see what you really look like?"

Haku smiled slightly. _"This is what I look like." _

"I mean...your human form. So many of the other Ki-lin have taken one now..."

Keilantra's eyes were alight with curiousity. Haku shrugged.

"_I've never taken it before. I suppose..."_

A touch of Light and a tiny flurry of Spirit and for the first time, Haku took his human form. He stood before Keilantra, naked and bare, and shrugged again.

"How do I look?" he said carefully with his new mouth.

Keilantra smiled, leaning forward. "I like this form better. I can kiss you this way."

Zyperis waited for his friend to return.

And waited.

When he felt the pull of another world on his soul, another people needing his help, he left the new Origin, christened Aye. This time...he left alone.

By the time Haku noticed he was gone, it was too late.

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 17: A Vessel of Time, The Temple of Origin**

A lone fisherman sat by the river, its banks dissolving into the mists behind him. There was no north nor south nor east nor west, only the river and the Fisherman. Time had older names for him and many worlds had forgotten him but a fisherman he was and Fisherman he was called.

The Fisherman whistled nonchalantly, giving his line a flick every now and then, watching the river as it passed. A hand reached out of the river and grasped onto his line, causing his whistle to stop mid-verse. The Fisherman frowned and jerked his rod but the hand was not dislodged.

The hand disappeared beneath the water but the line remained taut and began drawing closer to shore, signaling the approach of the soul.

"A strong one," the Fisherman mused. "To pull the line under."

The line paused at the edge of the shore and the Fisherman leaned forward with mild curiosity. The hand gripping the line surfaced once again and the Fisherman 'hmped', leaning forward still more.

Suddenly, the soul's free hand shot up and gripped the Fisherman's shirt and jerked back, tossing him into the river. The Fisherman got one good yelp in before he hit the water.

Zyperis grabbed the shore and began hauling himself out of the river before laying back on the grass and coughing, expelling the misty water from his lungs.

"That..." he said after a long minute. "...was not fun."

The Fisherman stood up, the water coming up to his chest, and shook his head, water droplets falling to form ripples, before wading to the edge and climbing out. He began searching for his fishing rod, glaring half-heartedly at Zyperis.

"You were torn apart, chewed up, half-digested, and thrown up again. It doesn't sound fun."

Zyperis grinned and pushed himself into a sitting position, letting his head fall onto his knees as he drew his legs to his chest.

"You know, I have something I've wanted to say to you for a very long time, Paerys."

The Fisherman turned and raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Zyperis' grin broadened, his eyes gleaming, and he calmly began reciting a very _long_ list of curses in a very _diverse_ spectrum of languages.

Paerys slowly began to grow pale.

* * *

Tome, the head librarian of the Temple of Origin, was running around a newly discovered room in the vast Temple and determining just how the Temple worked. The machine he was working at sparked, tossing the librarian into the wall behind him.

He stared forward blankly, his eyebrows smoking, then grinned and jumped back forward.

"Let's not try that again," he laughed.

* * *

Jet had refused to listen to any battle plans until he'd had a hot bath so it wasn't a surprise that Yue and Nen were far ahead of him when he finally rejoined them. The small chamber had a table full of food that the girls had hardly touched.

Nen was smiling. "It's just like Alem to do something sweet like that."

Yue shrugged. "I think he brought me back by accident."

Nen just laughed. "Or that."

Jet grinned as he sat down and began filling his plate.

"This is battle planning?"

"Nope. Girl talk." Nen said and Yue giggled, hiding her mouth with her hand. Jet shrugged.

Another moment passed before Yue took a deep breath and attempted to get serious.

"We've been trying to join the army in the southwest but we can't get out. The Fire Nation sometimes just sits out there, or something throws a random fireball. There's no method but...we spend most of the time doing repairs anyway. The city is simply...melting."

Nen frowned. "It's the Slayer. He's destroying this world the way he destroyed Origin, by turning the Elements on one another."

Jet slowly lowered his plate and stared blankly at the table. He could hear Kazearashi briefly then folded his hands in his lap.

"I should talk to the Fire Nation commander."

Both women stared at him as if he were insane...or suicidal...or both. Jet took a deep breath, focusing on the way the air was moved by the action.

"I just feel like its what I should do."

* * *

Aang and Toph had set up a makeshift campground inside one of the more intact structures left from the Fire Nation raid. Aang was oddly quiet and Toph kept trying to make up for it even as she wrapped the blanket more tightly around herself. It was so cold.

"You okay?" Aang asked, looking up from the fire he was building.

Toph smiled. "Just cold."

Aang shifted over to her, wrapping his blanket around her before folding his arm over her shoulders.

"I'm scared too." he said with a smile.

Toph leaned in and lay her head on his shoulder. She didn't say a word.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a dark fog was slowly billowing up from beneath the temple not far away. The light of Aang's soul formed a barrier around the two, forbidding entry to the gnashing mist around them.

* * *

Skandranon was fighting his way through a blizzard to where he felt Antaram and Haku. The Son of Agni and Daughter of Nen could no longer be felt and he was deep stressed by the darkness he felt spreading. He was hoping desperately that it was not what he thought it was. There so many signs that the Speaker was dead but...if that was true, all was lost.

He swept down from the torrents of the snow, barely maintaining a smooth descent before dropping into the clearing, folding into his human form, a few feathers floating free. Haku and Antaram rose to greet him but Kanna remained still, watching the other side of the clearing, her hand resting protectively on Ziri's shoulder.

"Skandranon," Antaram said softly. Haku was silent.

Skandranon's gaze was drawn to the shroud-encased corpse at Haku's feet.

"So it's true..."

The trees before Kanna burst out, allowing a frightened Shirshu through. On its back were three humans, one with pure white hair, one Fire Nation girl and one Water Tribe boy.

"Sokka!" Azula shouted as she, Mai, and Ty Lee stepped out of the tent.

Rou leapt down from Shirshu, followed quickly by Jun who fastened herself in front of the boy-god. Sokka jumped down last and Shirshu, in defense of his riders, lunged against the dense black fog that had been chasing them. When he reached it, it was like slamming into a solid structure and instantly the fog began churning around the beast, tearing it apart slowly.

"Shirshu!" Jun cried out in pain for the loss of her friend, lunging forward.

"No!" Rou shouted, grabbing her and pulling her back.

"It's Dhurmasc!" Antaram yelped in horror. Haku stepped back, the humans gathering around him as his alicorn began emitting light, holding back the fog. Skandranon also formed an orb of light in his hand, protecting them. The fog churned around them, mocking.

Ziri shivered. "It sounds like it's chewing." he whispered.

Antaram grabbed Zyperis' corpse and dragged it into the center of the circle.

"Haku, did Zyperis ever teach you that teleporting spell?" she hissed. Haku shook his head.

"I can't do it. I'm not Sorcyn."

The ground beneath them began to shake as the fog closed in on them, risking the light to consume the three Elders. Suddenly, an inhuman shriek came from the fog and it retreated to allow a shining machine from beneath the ground.

It was made to imitate a star, it seemed, a central circular core with spires radiating out from it. As it hovered above the ground and before the estranged group, a few of the spires shifted to the side and showed an opening into the core. A human figure appeared almost immediately, jogging down a small ramp.

"I got it working!" Tome beamed. "Come on! In! In!"

Skandranon and Kanna instantly began ushering the humans into the star and Tome waved his arms wildly, trying to get them in faster. Haku took the body of Zyperis from Antaram and carried him inside. Rou attached himself to Haku's side, his hands resting where the Speaker's shoulders had been. The two were almost instantly engaged in conversation, a bond between their souls that had crossed centuries still intact.

The inside of the star, Sokka noticed, was the exact same as the inside of the Temple of Origin.

"Is this..."

"Yep." Tome finished for him. "The Temple of Origin. Zyperis modeled it after the TimeStar. I just remembered it could move!"

"Good thing too." Ziri said, nodded. "What was that stuff?"

"Dhurmasc," Antaram answered. "Or Gloatbreath. It consumes everything it touches and replaces their souls with its own plasma, making them into agents of Eimin, under his command."

"Dhurmasc is essentially the Slayer's pet." Skandranon concluded.

Jun was shaking, mourning the loss of her Shirshu. "Wait, where's Rou?"

* * *

"Place him here."

Haku laid Zyperis' body gently on the bed and together, he and Rou pulled back the shroud of dragon skin, revealing the filleted muscle and bone.

"It's been nearly a day, my friend. Can you bring him back?"

Rou sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I have to try. You'll need to heal his body at the same rate that I bring back his soul. Any discrepancies and his body and soul might not line up right, might not fuse."

Haku nodded and took a position above Zyperis, laying his hands on either side of his head. Rou straddled the Speaker's chest, looking down at the life he had to save.

"I can do this." he said, mostly to himself. "I _have_ to do this."

He bent down and lowered his lips to the Speaker's. Haku immediately closed his eyes and began the healing process.

* * *

Haru watched in terror as Agni desperately tried to stay out of harm's way, fight back the fog, and not hurt Shasa. It was clear who had better maneuverability and Shasa kept trying to force her mate into the fog beneath them.

"Haru..."

Haru spun around, seeing Hakoda trying to force himself up using a nearby spear.

"Hakoda!" Haru shouted, running towards the fallen leader.

"_DON'T TOUCH HIM!"_

Haru turned to see a dark gray Ki-Lin running towards him through the fog, the light of his alicorn forming a bubble around him not unlike the shield the Shou had created.

Hakoda snarled and lunged for Haru. On instinct, Haru jumped back and brought a wall of earth up, sending the boulder barreling into Hakoda's chest. Hakoda's ribs should've been crushed but the boulder merely bounced off him and the thing that was no longer Hakoda snarled once again.

The Ki-Lin stopped next to Haru. _"Get on, quickly!" _

Haru climbed onto the Ki-Lin's back and it turned, running from the deranged leader. As they ran and the fog cleared around them, more soldiers appeared, consumed by the fog and each tried to attack him.

Shasa, seeing their potential escape, abandoned Agni and dived for them, prepared to cut them off. Agni's gaze and Haru's met for a brief moment before Agni dived after his mate, landing on her back and forcing her to face him rather than chase the Son of Earth.

Haru forced himself to look away, hiding his face in the mane of the running Ki-Lin.

Shasa spun and pushed away from Agni, flaring out her phoenix wings. His beat a pattern in the air as he watched sadly but determinedly. She lunged forward with a screech and he met her, dodging her claws and striking out with his teeth. While she screamed in frustration, he was silent.

Higher and higher they rose on the drafts created by Agni's fire blasts. Shasa tore at him with her teeth and claws. Agni fought back just enough to keep her interested in the battle.

Haru and the Ki-Lin stopped just above the valley, turning back to see, compelled to look against better judgemnt. Haru lifted his head just in time to see Shasa tear a hole straight through Agni's right wing then twist her head to tear the appendage completely from his body. Agni was silent as he plummeted to the earth, Shasa adding her weight to his freefall.

The ground shuddered when he landed and the fog was instantly upon the still writhing Fire god.

"Can't we do something?" Haru whispered. "Can we save them?"

The Ki-Lin shook his head sadly. "Once something is consumed by the Dhumasc, the process is irreversible."

Haru closed his eyes and sobbed quietly, letting the Ki-Lin carry him away.

* * *

Jun ran up the stairs to where the light was glowing and she met a closed and locked door. Beside her she found a strange Earth Kingdom boy who snarled at the closed door and shook it.

"Don't!" Antaram snapped, coming up the stairs behind them. "Bringing back someone who has been dead as long as Zyperis is difficult. Our energy could interfere."

They all gathered on the staircase, every single occupant of the Temple of Origin as it sped through the earth, out of reach of the Dhurmasc and past the radar of Eimin. They waited in silence, waiting for Rou to bring back the only person who knew how to save them. Nothing was said or even thought until the light began to dim and finally faded. A moment later, Rou opened the door, looking exhausted.

"You can come in now," he said weakly.

Shiroten pushed past Rou and went straight to the bed. Jun was more interested in Rou than the fallen Speaker and everyone else paused a good three feet from the bed. Haku was sitting in the chair across the room, asleep.

Ziri threaded his fingers through Kanna's hand and Azula, though she couldn't see Zyperis for Shiroten sitting beside him, sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes fell on the Speaker's arm, wrapped in perfect flawless skin, rising and falling with his breath.

"You did it," Skandranon breathed. "How the hell did you bring him back?"

Rou laughed weakly from where he was wrapped in Jun's arms.

"I'm not really sure," he said honestly. "It was like he was just waiting for me."

Shiroten ignored them all, making soft soothing sounds as he traced the lines of Zyperis' face, the bare head, the soft lashes.

"He needs to rest. His soul was in really bad shape, like he's been tearing pieces off of it for years. I fixed it but...like I said, he needs to rest." Rou finished, now leaning mostly on Jun.

"You need to rest too." she said firmly.

Antaram began ushering everyone out. She gave Shiroten a long look before deciding to let him stay.

Skandranon and Antaram were the last ones out. He met her gaze briefly.

"Finally, something good happens."

She nodded. "Now we wait."

"Now we wait."


	18. Chapter 18

REVIEW: Since it has been over a year since there was an update, here's a little review of the last few chapters.

ZUKO AND KATARA: Zuko has lost his memory and goes by the name of Korosu. He infiltrated the Fire Nation as an Elite soldier and when the Speaker sensed his impending death, he sent Katara and Zuko back to Misu for safekeeping. They have remained there for the past few days and wait anxiously for the Speaker's return.

HARU AND TASUKI: Haru was traveling with the rebel army, led by Jeong Jeong and Hakoda, when they were attacked by a previously unknown force known as Dhurmasc or Gloatbreath. Little is known of this force except for the knowledge that it consumes one's soul and fills the body with itself. Eimin uses it to create himself an efficient army. Haru and Tasuki, Haku's son, ran from the Dhurmasc as Tasuki was protected by his Ki-Lin blood and Haru protected by the Shou, the Seal of One Thousand Mountains that he received from Kioko. After witnessing the death and corruption of Agni and Shasa by the Dhurmasc, they fled and have rejoined the Ki-Lin army as it camps, waiting for Haku's instructions.

JET, YUE, AND NEN: Jet traveled north to be safe from Eimin and has helped the Northern Water Tribe defend against the Fire Nation's attacks. Yue, brought back to life accidentally by Rou when he saved Sokka, has taken over leadership of the tribe beneath her father. Jet has decided to speak to the Fire Nation commander and try to negotiate a cease-fire.

AANG AND TOPH: After Sokka's death and Katara's disappearance, Skandranon moved to assist Aang and Toph find their places for the upcoming battles. He took them to the Lunar Sanctum and left them there to find the Speaker. After the Speaker's death, he did not return and they have remained at the Lunar Sanctum with the Dhurmasc closing in.

IROH AND NURI: Iroh, after passing through the Swamp of Youth, has regressed to age 17 and has teamed up with the first Fire Lord and Agni and Shasa's son, Nuri, to infiltrate the Fire Nation Elite and try to gain support for the rebels within the Nation.

HARU, SKANDRANON, AND ANTARAM (The Elders), ZIRI, AZULA, MAI, TY LEE, JUN, ROU, SOKKA, SHIROTEN AND ZYPERIS: The Elders met with the Speaker and, leading Ziri and Azula as well, they were attacked by Eimin. The Speaker moved between them and was revealed to be Zyperis, Eimin's son. A fierce battle ensued between Zyperis and Eimin and ended with Zyperis being killed and Eimin being forced to retreat. Shortly thereafter, the Dhurmasc caught up with them chasing Jun and Rou. Tome appeared with the Time Star, a mechanical sanctuary housing the Temple of Origin, and helped them escape. Rou was able to bring Zyperis back to life and since they have been hiding from Eimin within the Time Star.

Thank you for sticking with me, Dears. If you are still there.

Soundtrack for this chapter: On the Rooftop with Quasimodo and Farewell by Apocalyptica, Where is the Edge by Within Temptation.

* * *

**CHAPTER 18: HARBINGER**

_Polished marble towers dominated the landscape and nobles dressed to match their elements wandered through the palace. All the tapestries and statues that had marked the place as the central temple of their religion had been removed. The people had taken the usurpation rather well. _

_Two men walked purposefully side by side down the hallway towards the throne room. One look and one could tell they were full brothers. They bore the same tall stature, light-colored hair, high cheekbones and shapely eyes. One merely stood four inches taller than the other and was dressed in flame red versus dreary gray._

"_I don't think this is a good idea, Sypaerys. Are you certain this is your Foretelling?"_

_The smaller of the two nodded, smoothing his new gray robe. For a moment the fabric seemed to shimmer, to come alive then fell again to simple cloth. The first Speaker in over a thousand years and he seemed to be a bit nervous before the task set him. The elder nodded in return, quickening his step as he took a deep breath. _

_The guards opened the door for the princes without hesitation. One did not keep the Speaker waiting, even when it was the King he was moving to see. _

"_Lord Eimin," the Speaker, Sypaerys, spoke as he entered the room. _

_A dark-haired man seated on what had once been the golden altar looked up and smiled. _

"_Sypaerys, Arabi, my sons, you don't have to address me so formally. Come here." _

_The two approached him, one with caution and one with fervor. Arabi knelt as Sypaerys stood standing. _

"_I come to address a formal issue, Father." Sypaerys said quietly as his father's smile changed from pleasant to indulging. "We must set the Elementals free." _

_Arabi tried to hide a flinch and Lord Eimin's smile faltered though his voice remained pleasant. "What are you talking about, dear one?" _

_Sypaerys swallowed. "The Elementals…the Powers That Be were very clear on their point."_

_Eimin chuckled, waving the servants away with a hand. "The Powers That Be…I thought you of all people would understand. The Powers That Be don't meddle in our affairs anymore." _

"_I speak for them." Sypaerys reiterated, albeit quieter. _

_Eimin stood and Arabi stood with him, watching their father carefully as Eimin placed an arm around the young man's shoulders. _

"_You're new at this, my dear son, so I will be gentle with you. You are new at everything, even life. You're only sixteen, my love." _

_He turned, spending a moment fixing the boy's hair. "You will learn, what the Powers That Be think no longer matters." _

_Sypaerys shook his hand away, stepping back and shaking his head. "There must be Balance, father. The Elementals are not inferior to us, they are our equals. They are different and the same and they must be free. Everything must balance or the world will spin out of place." _

"_Don't speak to me about Balance." Eimin's voice had taken on a sudden darker tone, almost as if someone else were speaking. Sypaerys got a sudden feeling he'd never had before, frightening. He would soon come to recognize it as the presence of an Abyss. "I was born out of Balance." _

_Eimin reached out again, pulling Sypaerys closer. "Think of what you are doing, my love. Think of what we could accomplish together, all the changes I'm making to lift our race to even greater heights. Sorcyn, Llementai, they are in Balance with one another. The Elementals are so inferior to us; we must oppress them to achieve equilibrium."_

_Sypaerys shook his head but he didn't step away. "That's not true."_

_Arabi stepped closer even as Eimin started to lead Sypaerys away from him, taking the young Speaker towards the curtained window. Arabi frowned, resting a hand on the curved blade at his waist. _

"_Look, Sypaerys, look at them." _

_Outside the window, far below them, scores of Llementai, or Elementals, worked away at the central market. Eimin smiled as they watched two brothers carrying loads of fish from the carriage to the market. The two were laughing and playing. _

"_They're happy," Eimin laughed, squeezing Sypaerys' shoulders. "Why would you take that away from them?" _

"_They don't know better." Sypaerys said darkly, his fists balled at his side. "This is what I have to do. If I have to stand against you, then I will." _

"_I see," Eimin said simply. "I suppose, you are the Speaker, you must do what you feel is right. But I ask you, one last time…think of all we could accomplish together. The priest and the king…it's an impenetrable duo, time-tested…"_

"_I…" Sypaerys hesitated and Arabi frowned, knowing that all Sypaerys had ever wanted was approval from their mutual father. Attention from a man with twenty seven children, he might as well be wishing on stars. _

"_I can't." Sypaerys said firmly. "This is what the Powers That Be want and…they're more important."_

"_I understand," Eimin said softly. _

_The clang of metal against metal surprised Sypaery and he yelped stepping back. _

"_Arabi! Father!" he shouted. _

_Arabi stood between Eimin and Sypaerys, his sword blocking Eimin's dagger. Sypaerys stared in shock at the two, his gaze fastening on Eimin. "You…would kill me? I'm…I'm your son!"_

_Eimin gritted his teeth. "Foolish child…" _

"_Run, Sypaerys." Arabi snapped. _

"_But…"_

"_RUN!"_

* * *

Azula walked quietly through the halls of the Temple, holding a flame in her hand to light her way. Entering the library, she was surprised to see Ziri sitting at a table across the room, nearly concealed by the stacks of books around him. He was engrossed in one massive tome, dust lining every page.

"What are you doing?" she asked and he jumped, startled by the sound of her voice in the quiet sanctuary. He smiled, however, when he saw it was her. Azula felt something in her heart tug. He looked so much like Zuko!

"I'm trying to find out more about the first war against Ei…the Slayer. Haku says it has a lot to do with this one. Maybe we can figure out what Zyperis was planning."

Azula lit the fireplace nearby and then took a seat next to Ziri. "I don't think Zyperis knows what he was planning. It all seems like a jumbled up mess to me."

Ziri nodded. "There's a lot here going on that we don't understand and we don't have the whole story yet. If Haku is right and this war is mirroring the first one, Zyperis could be acting on things we don't even remember."

Azula sighed, picking up a dusty book. "What have you got so far?"

Ziri laughed, shaking his head. "I don't think you understand."

He flicked his wrist and the torches around the room burst into flame, casting away the shadows until every corner was brightly lit. Books were stacked nearly to the domed ceiling filling every inch of the small room except for a narrow walkway between the two nearly equal piles.

"Tome gathered every book about the first war…every single one, ever written. I separated them into versions…"

"…versions?"

"Yes," Ziri said, pointing to each pile respectively. "Those are Sorcyan and these over here are Llementai. Those were the two races at war. You should well know…"

"Every war has two sides, two versions." Azula finished for him and Ziri nodded in agreement.

"The Sorcyan and the Llementai differ greatly but they tend to agree on the major things, like the war was being fought because the Llementai wanted independence and the major battle sites and…this."

He set a book in front of her, holding the place with his thumb. One page was filled with a language she didn't understand and across the other was a painting of a blond warrior riding a black stallion, fending off well-armored soldiers.

"Zyperis was leading the Llementai."

"Llementai…" Azula repeated wondrously. "Could that be the same as the Elementals?"

Ziri grinned. "It's Sorcyan for 'those of the elements'. I think it was supposed to be derogatory. They were so named because they were born with their element chosen for them, rather than choosing their own path as the Sorcyan, and the three Great Races, were able. It's for that reason that the Sorcyan thought they were a greater race."

"You mean they aren't?" Azula teased and Ziri smiled weakly.

"Considering we're the descendents of the Elementals and there are only two Sorcyan left, one of which we're trying to kill? I'd say the Elementals got the better end of the deal."

"You're half right."

Both turned to see Skandranon, the Gryphon Elder, standing in the door frame, his eyes dark and smoldering.

"Sorcya had more soldiers, better trained benders, a strong government, and a population that stood as one. The Llementai were a divided group of rebels rallying under the flag that they had the Powers That Be behind them. The Speaker would save them. They trusted blindly and fought an unwinnable war. But even the slightest chance that the rebels could win their freedom wasn't enough for _him._ He killed his entire population so he could bring them back impenetrable, an army of the damned."

Skandranon shook his head. "In the end, the Llementai didn't win. There were just more of them alive when Zyperis and the original Four managed to Seal the Slayer outside their world. "

Ziri swallowed hard, thinking of the millions of Fire Nation people who lived unwittingly with such a demon. "Could he do that again?"

The Gryphon's gaze was cold and hard. "It's not a question of can he, or even will he, but simply when."

* * *

Shiroten worriedly wet a cloth, folding it into a square before dabbing at the sweat on Zyperis' forehead. The unconscious Speaker recoiled and shivered, saying something inaudible before falling still once again. Opposite Shiroten, Rou sighed at Zyperis' actions and ran a hand through his hair. He was in the middle of another growth spurt, his body filling out into the guise of a warrior.

"He's getting worse," Shiroten whispered, flinching when Zyperis mewled in protest of the sound. Rou motioned for them to step out and Shiroten followed him quietly. Outside the closed door, Rou folded his arms over his chest and sighed.

"The only thing I can think of is that I didn't get all of him back. I don't see how that's possible but…he should've been up and bossing us around a week ago."

Shiroten wrapped his arms around himself, trying to suppress the shudders that racked his body. Rou laid a hand on his shoulder.

"What can we do?"

"There had to have been some piece of his soul still alive when I brought him back," Rou said softly. "It has to be returned to him or his soul will shatter. I don't think I'd be able to fix him again."

Shiroten nodded softly and Rou wrapped an arm around his shoulders, walking him downstairs. Halfway down, Shiroten stopped him. "I think…I think I know where the missing piece is."

Rou raised an eyebrow. "You do? Where is it?"

Shiroten took a deep breath, staring at the floor. "In me."

* * *

Far beneath the palace of the Fire Nation, rivers of lava ran through black stone. Eimin walked through the darkness; his only light the glow coming from the molten rock. He hummed lightly, flexing his fingers. The light reflected off of the gold trappings of his armor.

"You know, Zyperis, I do believe this is the first time I've been alone in many years."

He then stopped, blinked, and began to laugh raucously. "And rather than talk to myself, I'd still rather talk to you!"

With a twirl, he continued on down the well-worn path, skipping every now and then to a tune in his own head. At long last he came to a vast bowl, natural formed by the flow of the lava. Recently, however, the lava had vacated the area. He flexed his hands again, unclipping the blood-red cloak and letting it fall to the ground. It was with a strange grandeur that he removed his armor and upper clothing, gesturing to an unseen audience.

"I think you'll particularly like this, my old friend," he said with a smile.

With a flicker of his wrist, a section of stone fell away, revealing a tiny prison. One by one, Dhurmasc-ridden children stepped out and into the bowl before Eimin as he orchestrated their movements, humming once again. Once they were all gathered in the center, Eimin laughed lightly.

"Aren't you all the most obedient children ever? So quick to listen and do as your told, so unafraid of your fate. We should fix that."

He reached out towards the children and jerked his arm back quickly. A black mist rose from the children, gathering into a cloud above them. Eimin leaned back, looking at the empty space behind him.

"And you said it was irreversible."

It took a moment for the children to realize where they were, another for one to start crying, and soon they were all in tears. Several bolted for the doors; one nearly fell into the streaming lava. Eimin simply hummed as he extended his hands to each one that ran, gathering them back and holding them in the bowl as they cowered. Eimin stopped humming, closing his eyes briefly as he savored the moment. He extended his hands to the children again and the air around them began to crackle with energy. He stretched and there was a quick flash of light. The crackling energy contained the blood splatter as the light continued to flash, over and over. The screams rang out but it wasn't long before the only sound was Eimin's humming.

The bowl was full of blood. Every bone and scrap of clothing had been ground down into the fluid. Now Eimin turned and grabbed a bag from the pile of his clothes. He tossed it up lightly, laughing, and then poured it into the bowl. The herbs and stones pooled on the surface but almost immediately, the liquid began to boil and froth and Eimin coiled his fingers, causing the mixture to turn, blending all the ingredients together.

"Making a body is almost as easy as destroying one. But this one has to be special. Don't you think?"

The mixture in the massive bowl began to smoke and burn, flickers of flames appearing as it thickened and turned a gleaming black. Bubbles rose through the mass as it continued to turn, guided by Eimin's energy and Shadow. Slowly the fluid burnt away and began to take shape. Out of the blackened tar a skeletal hand reached blindly. By the time it grasped the side of the bowl, the tar had thickened around it into muscle and melted away, revealing pale skin.

"Welcome back." Eimin said gleefully as the new being stood warily on legs still forming themselves out of the black Shadow.

The man let his head fall back and howled.

* * *

He hadn't seen sunlight in three days.

Haru woke to darkness again and it was only habit making him get out of bed and start the day. Tasuki had brought him to wear Haku's army of Ki-Lin were preparing for the assault on Eimin's holdings. They all knew him by name now. He was simply bothered by the fact that he was the only one of the Four anywhere around. After the destruction of the human Water and Earth armies, this was their strongest force.

Stepping out of the tent, Haru wrapped his arms around himself tightly. The Dhurmasc churned around them, kept at bay by the Ki-Lin's Light. Still, it blocked out the sun and it was bitterly cold and still within the darkness. What was worse was you could walk out to the edge of the Ki-Lin's shield and see the soldiers taken by the Dhurmasc, steadily trudging on under its command. Every now and again one would fall against the shield and the resulting scream would stop the camp, every head turning to see. Dark tendrils would reach out and almost gently pluck the suffering mortal from its destruction, letting it coil back into the cold depths.

Haru found Tasuki talking with a few other Ki-Lin and burrowed into the stallion's warmth. Tasuki turned and touched him gently with his muzzle.

"We received a communication from my father."

"I thought…"

Tasuki bumped him gently and Haru glared, upset as he was jarred away from Tasuki's warm body. Tasuki's eyes glowed warmly. "Ki-Lin can communicate differently than humans."

"So…what did he say?"

"The Speaker is alive."

Haru breathed a sigh of relief. "So we still have hope."

* * *

The water gurgled in the brook, happily ignorant of the chaos beyond their island paradise. Katara hummed softly as she washed their clothes, content to enjoy the peaceful winds. She lifted her head, looking off through the trees to where she could just see the cliffs. She knew Zuko would be over there, training, as he always was this time of morning. She was so tired of calling him Korosu but so afraid to let him know who he was. It hurt knowing how much he had forgotten: his people, his friends…her.

Laying the clothes out, she channeled the water out of them and back into the stream, wasting not a drop. Once she was dressed, she began the walk over to the training grounds.

Korosu moved through the motions of the kata, the Qiang lying a few feet away just in case he needed it. Today, however, he didn't want Hiraishin's instruction. The burning need to fight was enough without the Fire Spirit's unquenchable thirst. He burned through the segments without flame, not needing to practice his fire-bending, just his breathing. His anger was getting to be difficult to control.

"Korosu?"

He sighed and straightened out of his last pose, looking over his shoulder to see Katara coming over the rise. She hesitantly touched the stone and, upon finding it cool, stepped into the circle with him.

"How are you?"

"Do you want to train with me?" he inquired softly.

Katara shook her head. "I was actually hoping you could take the day off and…"

Korosu turned away from her, falling back into stance. Katara sighed. "You don't need to train every day you know."

"Maybe you should train more often."

Her brow furrowed and Katara folded her arms over her chest, settling her weight to one side.

"I have been training. For years, and now I'm a master water bender. I've defeated armies, I've defeated Zyperis, and I've defeated you."

Korosu straightened turning back towards her. "I don't remember that."

"Of course you don't." Katara snapped. "You don't remember anything a day before you woke up next to Jeong Jeong. Maybe I don't want to train. Maybe I want to take the first moment I've been able to be alone with my boyfriend and…"

"There's a bloody war out there, Katara!" Korosu shouted, pointing out over the still waters to where the black fog never ceased. "Out there, beyond the fog, there are people dying every day! My people! And they're counting on me to do something!"

"They're my people too, Zuko!"

She waited for his comeback and it took her a moment to realize he wasn't speaking…or even reacting in anyway. She watched the flurry of emotions cross his face as seemed to be trying to figure out what he wanted to say.

"Wha-what did you call me?"

Katara gasped and covered her mouth as she realized her error. Zuko took a step back, a hand on his forehead as he tried to comprehend.

"I'm…Prince Zuko. I'm…responsible for all this carnage, all this…destruction."

"NO!" Katara shouted, stepping towards him. "You saved the Northern Water Tribe, you saved my life, and Aang's. You're good at heart, you just had a bad beginning but you overcame it. Why do you think I fell in love with you?"

Zuko shook his head. "You shouldn't love me."

Katara grabbed his shoulders. "We've been through this, Zuko. You would've let yourself die before harming anyone. You rejected your fire the last time we were on this island."

"Let me go."

Shaking her hand, Katara only held on tighter. "Think of all the good you've done, all the people you've saved, that is who you are, not what a name says!"

"I said, LET ME GO!"

Zuko pulled away from her sharply, glanced at her stricken face, before turning to run into the woods. Katara stood there weakly as he disappeared before sinking to her knees, quietly sobbing.

* * *

Nen stood with Yue above the gates, watching out as the sea rolled in protest of the battles fought on its surface. The two women had clasped hands, the battlements silent despite the many warriors that stood there, watching, waiting…hoping.

Jet stood in front of the gates of the Northern Water Tribe. His white robes blended in with the frigid landscape behind him and it had taken a few moments for the Fire Navy fleet to realize he was there. Still, the cease fire had been called and all was quiet. As he watched, the flagship drew closer and came to a halt with a metallic wail and the front of the ship lowered its ramp onto the ice. Jet frowned as he heard the ice crack beneath his heels but stepped forward as the commander came down the ramp.

"You're not a member of the Water Tribe."

Jet scowled. "Who said I had to be to speak on their behalf?"

He wanted to reach for his Tigers but the Hiketsu glowed warmly against his chest, calming him. Still, the commander laughed. "Proud talk from someone so small."

"I am Jet, Son of Samir, wielder of the Key of One Thousand Winds." Jet snapped. "We are facing a common enemy, a demon who has infiltrated the Fire Nation and spurs this war on. I want to offer you a hand of peace, so that we can combat-"

A strange gurgling sound caught him off guard and he trailed off, staring at the commander who had gone rigid, his eyes staring blankly forward. Jet was suddenly aware of how silent the world was around him, as if all the air around him had been sucked away, forbidding sound. The gurgling repeated itself, a sound as loud as thunder to his ears and he noticed black tar seeping from the side of the commander's mouth.

"Jet!" Nen screamed. "Get away from him!"

Jet stepped back, unwilling to take his eyes off the man. Suddenly, the black tar shrieked forward and Jet fell back, blocking the attack with one arm. He hissed, whatever it was burned straight through his bracers and into his skin. It was agony, he couldn't even see for the pain.

Nen leapt from the wall and landed lightly a few feet behind Jet as he fell to his knees, connected to the commander by the web of black tar. She bent to the ground and brought her hands back up, a massive wave rising and falling on all three of them. She then shifted her stance, sending the commander flying out into the bay. Turning, she gathered Jet's shivering body into her arms, encasing his arm in water.

"Yue!" she called and the princess came running out of the gates, leading dozens of water benders. "Keep his arm surrounded by water. The rest of you come with me!"

She turned and the water benders lined up to either side of her facing the Navy fleet. One could hear the metal works of the machines as they prepared to fire once again. The water benders followed her movements as she bent and drew up a wave in front of the fleet. The wave stretched from one side of the inlet to the other and raised high above the Fire Navy fleet. With one fluid movement, they sent the wave out to sea, carrying the ships with it. One could hear them crash against one another long after they had disappeared from sight.

Nen then ran back after Yue and the other healers, falling to her knees next to Jet. He jerked awake as she approached. Yue had dried him as efficiently as she could while keeping his arm under water. Nen let the water fall away from his arm and surveyed the damage. The Shadow had burned deep into his flesh, leaving black bands of necrotic muscle behind. She gathered up the snow and healed what she could but even under the new skin, she could still see the black bands.

"It burns," Jet hissed and Nen placed a hand on his forehead.

"I know, my love."

* * *

Rou tied the cloak around Shiroten's shoulders, laying his hands on the smaller teen's shoulders. "I'll be right behind you with Zyperis. If anything happens…"

Shiroten shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I think this is the way it's supposed to be."

The two turned and walked into the atrium where Haku had been setting up most of the day. The walls were lined with chalk runes and Haku had converted back to his Ki-Lin form.

"Are you ready?"

"The fastest way to determine if the missing piece of Zyperis' soul is with Shiroten is to separate them. Zyperis will immediately wake up and try to reconnect with Shiroten. I don't know what's going to happen when he wakes up…" Rou trailed off and glanced at Shiroten. "If anything happens, I'll do my best to bring you back."

Shiroten shrugged, giving Rou a teary smile as he stepped forward, threading his fingers through Haku's mane.

"Good luck," Rou said softly and Haku bowed his head. A flash of light and they were gone, the chalk lines fading to ash and Rou stood alone.

"The die is cast. What comes of it be on my head," Rou said softly.

* * *

_The sound of trumpets echoed through the valley and Sypaerys reviewed the map on the table. Coal stood opposite him, his arms folded over his chest as he listened intently to the Speaker's plan. Arabi stood at his shoulder as always and Haku had his head stuck in through the flap, the tent not big enough to house his equine body. _

_Come to an agreement, they all stood and Coal shook the Speaker's hand. "Thanks for everything, Zyperis." _

"_Sypaerys," Arabi corrected for the hundredth time and Coal blushed. Sypaerys laughed and clapped his brother's shoulder. _

"_It's ok, Arabi. It doesn't matter." _

_The other filed out and soon Sypaerys and Arabi were the only ones left in the tent. _

"_It does matter."_

_Sypaerys looked up from where he'd just flopped into an open chair. "Hm?" _

"_Sypaerys is the name I gave you, not the butchered version they make up because they can't speak properly."_

"_Arabi!" _

_Arabi shook his head, his body shaking with suppressed anger. "And this supposed plan of yours? Is this what the Powers That Be have thought up? To send you headfirst against an army of undead creatures that used to be our people, led by the most powerful force of Shadow we've ever seen? If so, why did we spend all that time gathering the Heiki? Why choose the Four at all?"_

"_This is the simplest way. Fewer people have to die, if I can defeat Father…"_

"_If…if you can defeat Father, fewer people will die. Fewer, yes. In fact, only you."_

"_Arabi…" Sypaerys started sadly before Arabi cut him off. _

"_No. I have defended you, protected you, from the day you were born but this time…I'm not going to snatch you from the dragon's teeth. If you're going on this fool's errand, you go alone."_

"_I wasn't expecting you to come." Sypaerys said softly and Arabi turned, pulling the map back out and spreading it across the table. _

"_I'm taking the Sorcyan forces and moving here." _

_Sypaerys' gaze narrowed. "Why?" _

"_Because, if and when you fail, this city is going to be left wide open and the Slayer is going to butcher them…for fun. I'm not going to leave them unprotected."_

"_If I can't stop them, what makes you think you can?" _

_Arabi turned and smiled at him. "I can't stop him. But I will not leave those people alone to die."_

_Sypaerys gave a wordless sound of protest as his brother turned away from and started out of the tent. Arabi pushed the flap back then paused, turning back to Sypaerys._

"_Since this is most likely the last conversation you and I will ever have, I must tell you this."_

_Sypaerys swallowed hard, meeting his brother's gaze, trying to find some way to make him stay. _

"_Yes?" _

_Arabi shook his head before claiming his gaze with a determined solemnity. _

"_There has never been a breath that you have taken that I did not despise."_

* * *

Alone in his room, Zyperis' eyes snapped open and he sat up sharply, staring around the room.

_Something's wrong…something's missing…_

_Where am I?_

_I must've been captured…the Llementai?_

_Something's missing._

He slowly climbed out of bed, careful not to make a sound. At the foot of his bed lay plain gray robes that shimmered when the light hit them.

_Light and Shadow as one…_

_Something's missing. _

_The Speaker's clothes…am I the Speaker?_

Seeing no other clothes, he quickly dressed, glancing around the room. He moved to the door, opening it silently and looking out. The hallway was empty as well and he stepped out. Flashes of memories competed with one another.

_The priestess, I remember that…Ana, who's Ana? Ana…Ana died…_

The burst of grief threatened to send him to his knees but he pushed on, staying pressed against the wall. The first room he came to was stacked full of books and held two Fire Llementai asleep against one another.

_Llementai…I have been captured._

_Something's missing._

_The Llementai went free, made a new world just for them, Haku brought the Ki-Lin too. You helped them._

_I…helped?_

…_missing._

Zyperis hid his face in his hands, trying to make the constant chatter of voices and flurry of forgotten memories still. Why couldn't he make sense of anything? He could hardly even remember who he was.

_Sypaerys…Zyperis…Slayer's son…Eimin…Father…_

_Something's missing._

"Damn it all," he whispered.

_Maybe Arabi was right…_

Arabi.

That was it. That's what was missing. Arabi was going to defend the outskirt city, the last outpost of Sorcya that remained and the Slayer was going to tear right through him. He had to move, had to get there and save him. Had to prove that he was worth all the pain and frustration Arabi had been through.

He walked confidently down the hallway but nearly ran into another group of Llementai heralded by a Gryphon and a Dragon in human form. Zyperis hesitated before sliding into a side hall. Somehow, he knew his way perfectly through the maze-like Time Star.

Tome was calmly sitting at the controls of the Time Star, watching the earth fade away to allow for its passage, constantly moving to keep Eimin from getting a lock on them. He was humming an old tune as he shifted the dials before leaning back away from the dials. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see who it was when a fist connected with his jaw and he fell to the floor.

Zyperis dragged the Llementai to the corner and tied him up with a cord he'd found earlier before taking his place at the controls. For one frightening moment, he didn't know what to do.

"Place your hands on the gold dials."

Zyperis glanced back to see a strange man with white hair and marks around his wrists. Glancing back at the controls, he saw two gold dials at hip height and placed his hands over him. The Time Star lurched to a stop.

"Think about it."

Zyperis closed his eyes, willing himself to remember coherently what he had to do.

"Arabi. I have to save Arabi."

Rou nodded. "Go find him."

Zyperis nodded and the Time Star lurched once again, this time speeding through the earth despite its guide acting blindly. Rou crossed the floor calmly and checked Tome's injuries.

* * *

Shiroten and Haku landed in the center of the Ki-Lin camp and Tasuki stepped forward to greet them, touching his father's alicorn.

"All is well, Father."

"Tasuki," Haku purred softly, his voice thick with emotion at the sight of his son, safe and well. "I knew it would be."

Shiroten stepped away from the Ki-Lin pair and looked out to where the Dhurmasc churned against the Light Shield. He shivered in the bitter cold, pulling the cloak Rou had given him tighter around his shoulders.

"I'm right here, brother."

The earth beneath their feet began to rumble and Shiroten fell to his knees, a dark-haired Earth teen at his side and helping him to stand.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Shiroten. What's going on?"

"I'm Haru and I don't know."

A metallic scream echoed through the small area and the only two humans beneath the Light Shield watched as the Dhurmasc rolled, rising up in a single column. Sucked up from the ground, it revealed its consumed soldiers, waiting in ranks just beyond the Shield, skin ashen and eyes bloodshot. Haru stared and Shiroten found himself reaching for the shadows once again when the scream came again and both men raised their heads as the Ki-Lin raced to react.

The Dhurmasc reached the peak of its climb, folding over on its own weight and in one fluid movement it crashed, drilling into the Shield from above. Shiroten fell and covered his ears at the soul-searing crack that resounded.

"Tasuki!" He heard Haku shouted. "Protect the humans!"

Suddenly Tasuki was at their side and Haru helped him up once again, Shiroten throwing an arm over Tasuki's back.

"You two need to get out of the way. If the Light Shield goes, you two will be most vulnerable. Stay in the center."

The earth rumbled again as the Dhurmasc prepared for another attack, the Shadowed eerily quiet despite the hell wrought around them. With Tasuki shielding them, Shiroten stared out into the darkness, willing Zyperis to get there, to save them.

The Ki-Lin formed a massive circle around the edges of the Light Shield. Light grew in the dismal place as their alicorns began to glow, strengthening the shield. But how long could their strength hold out? Again and again the Dhurmasc rose and crashed against the Shield and cracks began to appear, lengthening down the sides of the dome.

Suddenly, the earth began rumbling again but it felt different somehow. Haru bent and laid a hand on the ground.

"It's coming from underneath!"

Before the words had left his mouth, the ground exploded upwards. For a moment a despairing silence swept over the Ki-Lin before the diamond spires of the Time Star appeared. The ground sealed itself once again beneath the Time Star and it hovered there beneath the Shield, emitting its own glorious light.

* * *

Zyperis abandoned the controls, sliding down to the Time Star's entrance. It was barely open before he was sliding out, raising his head to the chaotic turmoil the Ki-Lin were trying to stave off. The Dhurmasc had raised for another attack and Zyperis scowled, running towards where the Shield was weakest.

Shiroten saw him run past and leapt out from beneath Tasuki's shield. "Zyperis!"

Zyperis continued running, skidding to a stop beside the Ki-Lin's line. He placed a hand on the fragile Shield, peering out into the churning depths of the Dhurmasc. Arabi was out there. He had to save Arabi.

"Let me through."

The Ki-Lin closest to him nodded and the Shield shimmered, allowing him to pass through. Shiroten got there seconds after it had closed and he had disappeared into the darkness.

"Let me out!"

"He is the Speaker, he can handle the stress. You are still weak, human."

Shiroten shook his head. "You don't understand! He's not whole! You have to let me through! Zyperis!"

Zyperis treaded slowly through the swirling Dhurmasc, the strong Light of his soul keeping the demon at bay though it churned inches from his body. Even broken, his Light was strong but it could not keep forever as he drew further away from Shiroten.

"So, demon, you will not release my brother to me?" He whispered.

…_if and when you fail…_

Zyperis frowned. "Watch this, Arabi."

He stood a little straighter and extended his arms out straight to either side, parallel to the ground. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. His breath began to glow white as he pushed it out. He flicked his left hand, drawing his arm down. As he did, red energy glowed at his fingertips, following his arm. His right arm raised, blue energy gushing down his arm.

Bending, one foot slid against the ground, green energy sparking from the movement.

_Water. Earth. Fire. Air. _

His left arc completed its downward arc and slid up again, this time taking the green energy with it as his right arm gathered the white energy and he brought his hands together in the center of his chest. The four energies boiled around each other and flecks of Light could be seen in the center.

He closed his eyes, trying to see well beyond the borders of the elemental energy. _I can do this._

Shiroten pushed beyond the Shield the moment the Ki-Lin let him through and raced into the darkness, not caring if the Dhurmasc took him. There was enough of Zyperis' soul inside him to give him a little protection and he followed his instincts before coming to a hole Zyperis had cleared inside the Dhurmasc.

He had to shield his eyes from the bright Light sphere coming from between Zyperis' hands. As he watched, the four lights churning inside the sphere finished fusing.

Light flattened the trees around them, burning away the Dhurmasc. All life appeared washed of color in the presence of the brilliant white Light, solid energy. It burned at his skin and he wasn't even in shadow form. Shiroten forced himself up against the backlash waves of searing light and walked closer to Zyperis. Zyperis himself seemed transfixed by the Light emanating from his hands even as it burned his skin and Shiroten was able to draw close without him noticing.

"Zyperis,"

Zyperis turned his head slowly and smiled at him. "Arabi, I found you."

Shiroten smiled weakly. "Yeah, you did."

"Are you safe?"

Shiroten nodded, tears running down his face in the immense heat. "Yes. Yes, I'm safe."

Zyperis turned to him, letting one arm extend out in front of him and the Light Orb began to float on its own, still emitting the soul-crushing waves of Light. Shiroten let himself fall into Zyperis' arms. He stayed there for a moment before raising his head, cupping his hand around Zyperis' cheek.

"I love you," he said softly.

"I love you too," Zyperis agreed, wrapping his arms around Shiroten's waist.

Shiroten ran his fingertips lightly over Zyperis' face, simply taking in the beauty of the moment, the love he'd never thought he'd be able to feel.

"The world needs you," Shiroten said firmly. Zyperis' gaze narrowed, not fully comprehending what he was saying, what needed to be done, or what was being asked of him. Shiroten just smiled, understanding enough for them both. "I know you had to do this and it's okay. I understand."

Shiroten pulled his head down, Zyperis offering no resistance, his eyes wide with confusion as Shiroten spoke his last words into his ear.

"I forgive you."

Before Zyperis could protest, Shiroten rose on his toes, pressing his lips to the Speaker's.

* * *

Skandranon and Antaram had led the others out of the Time Star after releasing Tome to man the controls. Both Elders had moved to help the Ki-Lin maintain the Shield when a single beam of light broke through the clouds of the Dhurmasc, piercing into the sky. The Dhurmasc rolled and screamed in agony as the Light grew and pulsed, waves extending out from the source.

"Keep up the shield!" they heard Haku shout.

The Light grew and grew until it was too bright to see and the teens huddled in the center beneath Skandranon's wings. Even through their lids, the Light burned and burned.

Ziri found himself standing alone as the Light passed through him. While the others curled away from the light and hid, it felt like nothing more than a warm breeze, the Light no more bright than cloudless summer day.

Without warning, the heat faded away and the Light dimmed. It took a few moments for the humans' eyes to adjust to the sudden loss of light and even several Ki-Lin were shaking their heads, blinding through the tears to cope.

The Dhurmasc was gone. Only ash remained of the Shadowed soldiers and the trees were blown back, many charred on the side facing the blast. As the damage began to be seen and measured, the Ki-Lin army began gathering once again, checking for injuries and caring for the newly arrived humans. Rou saw Haku and met his gaze, both of them looking for the same thing, the same two people.

A piercing scream broke the silence, harshly different from the metallic sounds of the Dhurmasc. It was a sound broken, despair in and of itself. Haku's head spun and he began running, followed shortly by Rou. The entire group quickly followed.

Haku skidded to a stop and fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands. Jun was brought to a sudden stop as Rou turned, hiding his face in her chest.

"It's my fault," she heard him whisper.

Zyperis had fallen to his knees, wailing as he sobbed brokenly, openly. Cradled in his arms were the ashen remains of a human body, ever crumbling away, all that remained of Shiroten.

It was a long moment before Haku, returning to his human form, got to his feet and moved to Zyperis' side, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Zyperis…"

"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME YOU OVERGROWN PONY!"

Zyperis vainly tried to gather the crumbling ash, his fingers soaked with his own tears.

"Rou…Rou! You have to bring him back, you have to…"

"I can't…there's not enough…" Rou breathed.

"DAMMIT!" Zyperis shouted, slamming his fists into the earth. Haku wrapped his arms around his shoulders, trying to offer comfort as Zyperis began to flail against him.

"I said don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! It's all your fault! You brought him here, you knew this would happen! I tried to protect him and you messed it all up! Why…Why would you do this you knew how much he meant to me! Why would you let him…why would you do…why did you…why…?"

Zyperis slowly collapsed into Haku's arms, sobbing openly against him. "Why did you let me try to save everyone? If I had listened, if I hadn't tried…maybe it would've…it's all my fault, everything is my fault…"

Haku sank back, pulling Zyperis more firmly against his chest. "It was supposed to happen this way."

Glancing back at the others, Haku sighed and stood. He attempted to lift Zyperis into his arms but this earned him a sharp jab from the Speaker. Haku squeaked and dropped Zyperis, resulting in the latter latching onto him to remain standing. A shared glare and Zyperis leaned heavily against the Ki-Lin.

"Haku," Zyperis whispered. "You need…"

Haku shook his head. "Hush. Rest. You deserve it."

Zyperis snorted and lurched forward, forcing them both to walk towards the Time Star. "Shut up, pinhead, and summon the Four."

* * *

Night had fallen and Zuko had not returned. It was a small island and Katara knew he had to be nearby but she kept herself from searching for him. She trusted her instincts that he would return, no matter what. She built a fire on the beach where he had saved her from the tigress and watched the moon rise over the water. It seemed muted, somehow, and it gave her a chill.

"Katara,"

She raised her head from her knees, the wind blowing softly. Zuko was standing a few feet away, hanging his head.

"I'm…I'm sorry."

She patted the sand next to her and he took a seat, leaning towards her.

"Tell me everything."

Katara looked at him softly and took a breath. Slowly, she recounted everything they had been through together from the first moment she'd seen him, so long ago now it seemed, until the moment where he'd left her in Tasha and finally with their fight earlier that day. By that time, Zuko had reclined in the sand and she was curled up against his side.

"I wish I could remember it the way you can," he said softly when she was finished. Katara just smiled.

"You will someday. Zyperis said your memories will come back."

"When triggered by the 'right words said by the right person.'" Zuko repeated. "But you left something out."

Katara looked up, not sure what he meant.

"Our marriage, you left that out."

Katara shook her head, propping herself up on an elbow. "No, we're not married. This is the longest we've spent together since Tasha and that was the first time you told me you loved me."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "But you're so sure of us."

Laughing, Katara tickled him briefly. "I have been from that moment on. I loved you far before then and I love you now. Marriage simply seems to be a luxury we can't afford."

"Yes we can. We can be married, right here, right now."

Katara raised an eyebrow. "That's impossible. There's no priest, no temple, nothing. Just us."

Sitting up, Zuko drew out the Qiang and set it in the sand. "Hiraishin told me that in the old days, in times of stress, two Elementals could say their vows to one another in front of the Spirits and those vows would be just as binding as anything said before a priest."

Katara, resting against him, looked serious for a moment before she brought out the Kun and set it in the sand beside the Qiang.

"I, Katara, Daughter of Nen and Hakoda, do take you, Zuko, Son of Agni and Ursa, to be my beloved husband and I do swear to honor him, to fight beside him, to care for him, and to love him until the day I die and beyond."

Zuko smiled, leaning forward so his forehead rested against hers and he threaded their fingers together.

"I…Zuko, Son of Agni and Ursa, do take you, Katara, Daughter of Nen and Hakoda, to be my beloved wife and I do swear to honor you, to fight for you and beside you, to provide and care for you, and to love you forever more."

"You may kiss the bride," Katara whispered, lost in his golden eyes as he pressed his lips to hers.


End file.
